Guterres condemns the launch of a North Korean ballistic missile and calls for it to reopen communication channels with Seoul

14 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The Secretary General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has “strongly” condemned the launch of a new long-range ballistic missile by North Korea, which took place on Thursday morning.

Guterres’s spokesman, Stéphane Dujarric, has indicated that the General Secretariat reiterates its calls on Pyongyang to “comply fully with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions.”

Likewise, it has asked the North Korean authorities to reopen communication channels and resume dialogue that leads to a sustainable and complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.

The North Korean authorities have confirmed that a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile that uses solid fuel was launched on Thursday with the aim of achieving the “deterrence of nuclear war”. The South Korean military previously reported that the missile flew about 1,000 kilometers before hitting the Sea of ​​Japan.

North Korea has also ensured that the launch did not pose any danger to the security of neighboring countries, after the maneuver caused Japan to issue an evacuation alert for the citizens of the island of Hokkaido, in the north of the archipelago, for danger of the missile flying over their airspace.

The launch of the missile, which has also been condemned by Japan, South Korea and the United States, comes days after the North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un, met with senior officials of the country’s Armed Forces to stress the “need for ” that war deterrence was “more offensive”.

On the other hand, Seoul has denounced that North Korea has not responded to routine security calls through the joint communication channel for a week — seven consecutive days — criticizing its “one-sided and irresponsible attitude.” The South Korean authorities said on Monday that they were considering the possibility that Pyongyang had “unilaterally” suspended the communication channel, through which both countries maintained two daily contacts.