Seoul warns NK of ‘serious’ consequences

Kim Sook, Seoul’s ambassador to the United Nations, speaks to the media at the U.N. Headquarters in New York, Wednesday. / AP-Yonhap

South Korea began its push Thursday to implement “more serious” penalties against North Korea for its long-range rocket launch this week, as details emerged about the feat that has intensified concerns over Pyongyang’s missile threat.

The U.N. Security Council earlier in the day (KST) convened an emergency meeting to discuss the launch of the three-stage missile, which officials say helps bring the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a step closer to targeting the mainland United States with ballistic missiles.

South Korean diplomats were working channels at the United Nations in New York to clarify their stance.

“We hope that we can have more serious punishments because it was an illegal launch. The international community was totally against the launch but they did it anyway. This time we hope we find a more serious tool to make them pay,” a Seoul official said, asking not to be named.

While the Wednesday launch ― which the North claims was for scientific research but Seoul says was a ballistic missile test ― appeared to catch the government and its allies off guard.

The defense ministry said a satellite delivered by a rocket was circling the Earth at a speed of 7.6 kilometers per second but had not confirmed whether it was functioning properly, citing data by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD).

“It is not yet known what kind of mission the satellite is conducting,” the ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok said at a briefing. “It usually takes two weeks to evaluate whether a satellite is successful. For the time being, it is working normally.”

Official said debris from the rocket’s first stage was located in the West Sea. The military has deployed Aegis warships and minesweeping ships on search missions.

The launch upped the stakes over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program, which it values as a deterrent against what it calls hostile forces.

However, the official stressed that the process for seeking punitive measures at the council was multilateral, implying that Seoul would have to be pragmatic about its goals. Eyes are focused on China and Russia, traditional allies of the North and permanent members of the council to see how they will react.

The mood at the 15-nation council was reportedly more urgent than it had been following the North’s last launch of its Unha-3, which failed. This was reflected in a brief statement that condemned the launch.

“Members of the Security Council will continue consultation on an appropriate response, given the urgency of the matter,” the statement said.

Analysts say Seoul and Washington are likely to seek to tighten the implementation of existing resolutions that ban Pyongyang from testing ballistic missile technology.
Seoul has hinted at the possibility of mobilizing an international coalition to target financial institutions dealing with the North.

Attention swings once again to China and Russia, neighbors that share ties with Pyongyang, as they have the power to veto new actions.

In a hint that Beijing may continue a policy of propping up its impoverished neighbor, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said in Beijing that the council’s response should be “prudent and moderate and conducive to maintaining stability and avoiding escalation of the situation.”

Some observers said a drive for tougher sanctions could be hampered by a power game between Washington and Beijing. They suggested that because China is seen as having backed Russia with regard to Syria, Moscow could reciprocate over the launch. <The Korea Times/Kim Young-jin>