In a statement issued Sunday, North Korea warned the U.N. Security Council not to criticize its missile program. Friday’s emergency closed-door meeting at the U.N. Security Council was held in Paris. France circulated a draft statement that expressed concern about North Korea’s missile launches, and called on the council to ban it from firing its missiles. Jo Chol Su from the North Korean Foreign Ministry warned the U.N. Council that it should consider the consequences of its actions in the future if it attempts to invade North Korea’s sovereignty. According to a statement distributed by state media, Jo also accused U.N. of having a “double-dealing standards” as it doesn’t take into account similar weapons tests by the United States or its allies. After a six month hiatus, North Korea resumed missile testing in September. It launched new missiles, including nuclear-capable weapons, that placed South Korea and Japan within striking distances. In what experts describe as an attempt to pressure Seoul into easing its crippling economic sanctions, the country offered to continue conditional talks with South Korea. As North Korea seeks to build nuclear weapons on its missiles, it is prohibited from participating in any ballistic activities under multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions. North Korea claims its nuclear program is designed to deal with U.S. military threats. Washington, however, has stated that it does not have hostile intentions toward Pyongyang. Despite recent launches, North Korea has maintained a self-imposed moratorium in 2018 on long-range missiles directly threatening America’s homeland. This is a sign that North Korea wants to preserve future diplomatic opportunities with the U.S. Officials have asked North Korea to resume talks without preconditions but the North has stated it will not do so unless the Americans abandon their “hostile strategy,” a reference to the ongoing military drills between Washington, Seoul, and Sanctions.
