US calls for emergency UN security council meeting on North Korea missile tests

SANAA, Jan. 02 (YPA) – UN diplomats said Washington has requested an emergency session of the Security Council to discuss North Korea’s missile test a few days ago.

The US delegation to the United Nations has requested closed-door consultations with the Security Council on Thursday on the Korean test, al-Arabi al-Jadeed news agency reported.

France and Britain support the US request, she said, noting that “it is up to Russia, which as of Tuesday assumed the presidency of the Security Council for February to determine the date of the meeting.”

On Thursday, the South Korean army said in a statement that the North Korea had fired two short-range ballistic missiles towards the sea off its east coast, the sixth operation since the beginning of the year.

Regional tensions have been rising for weeks, particularly with Pyongyang conducting five ballistic missile tests since early 2022, including two supersonic missile tests.

Since 2006, North Korea has been subject to a series of economic, trade and military sanctions, under security council resolutions annually, for its ballistic and nuclear missile programmes.

E.M