Draft UN chairman's statement circulated, denouncing North Korea's ICBM

The United States has shared with the members of the UN Security Council a draft statement condemning North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch. It is noteworthy whether the international community will be able to show solidarity against North Korea's provocations this time.

According to a UN official, the UN Security Council members shared a draft chairman's statement prepared by the US on December 20th (local time). The draft reportedly contained the phrase "condemning at the strongest level" North Korea's ICBM test launch on the 18th and a warning that North Korea violated existing Security Council resolutions.

It also urged North Korea to stop its nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches, and called on it to return to the dialogue table. Since discussions based on the draft have only just begun, it is expected that the draft will continue to be coordinated among members during the circulation process.

A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official said, "We are hearing that a draft chairman's statement has been circulated at the initiative of the United States and that there is currently a coordination of opinions among the members of the Security Council." It is difficult to decide whether to proceed or not."

Decisions that can be adopted by the UN Security Council are divided into three categories: "resolutions," "Chairman's statement" and "statement." It is usually adopted by the consensus of 15 member states and has the status of an official document of the Security Council.