On Friday, a top UN official in charge of disarmament said that North Korea’s continued work on nuclear weapons threatens the global non-proliferation system.
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRC) is still working on nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, even though this is against Security Council resolutions. This is hurting the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime and the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) that supports it, Izumi Nakamitsu told a Security Council meeting about non-proliferation in the DPRC.
She said that North Korea is still working on its nuclear weapons program and improving its delivery systems. She also said that in recent years, the country has “significantly” increased the number of times it launches ballistic missiles.
Nakamitsu said that North Korea has broken Security Council decisions by launching more than 100 ballistic missiles since 2022. These have included solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missiles and space launch vehicles that use ballistic missile technology.
International law says that any transfer of weapons and ammunition has to follow certain rules. These rules include Security Council resolutions and the sanctions systems that they set up.
“As the Secretary-General (Antonio Guterres) has stated, any relationship that any country has with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, including the Russian Federation, must entirely abide by the relevant Security Council sanctions,” she told us.
Guterres had asked North Korea to “fully” follow its international obligations, including those set out in relevant Security Council resolutions. Nakamitsu said that all relevant states should avoid doing anything that could make things worse in the area.
