India on Saturday told the United Nations that it supports denuclearisation in the Korean peninsula, asserting that it was in the “collective interest”.
Ruchira Kamboj, India’s permanent representative to the United Nations, made the statement at the Security Council against the backdrop of the intercontinental ballistic missile launched by North Korea on November 3. The launch had reportedly failed.
The intercontinental ballistic missiles are North Korea’s longest-range weapons and are designed to carry a nuclear warhead to the other side of the planet.
A day before this launch, North Korea had fired 23 missiles towards South Korea.
North Korea has argued its weapons tests are meant to be a warning to the United States-South Korea joint military drills that it views as an invasion rehearsal.
South Korea on Friday allegedly scrambled stealth jets after it detected that 180 North Korean warplanes had been mobilised, AFP reported.
On Saturday, Kamboj said that the missile launches violated the Security Council resolutions related to North Korea.
“They affect the peace and security of the region and beyond,” she said. “India calls for full implementation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions relating to North Korea.”
In January, the United Nations Security Council adopted nine sanctions resolutions on North Korea in response to the country’s nuclear and missile activities since 2006.
Each resolution rebukes North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile activity and has urged the country to cease its illicit activity.
UN Secretary General António Guterres on Saturday also criticised North Korea for launching missiles. He urged the country to refrain from taking any provocative action and to follow international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions, ANI reported.
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