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The chief nuclear negotiators of South Korea, the United States and Japan met in Washington D.C. on Saturday and agreed to refer North Korea to the UN Security Council should it go ahead with the launch of what it claims is a satellite launch vehicle. South Korea¡¯s chief nuclear envoy Wi Sung-lac said he views the launch of any long-range projectile by North Korea as a violation of UN Security Council resolutions.
North Korea¡¯s state-run Rodong Shinmun newspaper warned on Sunday the six-party nuclear disarmament talks would be over if the launch is referred to the Security Council for possible sanctions. North Korea also threatened to take ¡°stronger measures.¡± Some believe that could mean additional nuclear tests. The first was in 2006. If the North conducts another after it fires a long-range missile, the situation on the Korean peninsula would turn very serious.
To prevent more provocations by North Korea, the international community must stand united in urging Pyongyang to stop any moves that threaten peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and warning that a failure to comply would have consequences. For such efforts to succeed, China and Russia are crucial. China is said to be pressing North Korea to stop the missile launch but says it would be difficult for the UN to curb the peaceful exploration of space by a sovereign country. Radio Free Asia on Saturday reported that Russia has concluded North Korea would not be violating UN Security Council Resolution 1718 if the rocket being prepared for launch indeed puts a satellite into orbit.
But North Korea¡¯s satellite claim has no substance. It has yet to identify the frequency of the communications satellite, which is usually revealed two years before launch, while it lacks a large enough communications market to warrant such a device. When North Korea test fired its first long-range missile in 1998, it claimed the satellite ¡°Kwangmyongsong-1¡± was now orbiting the earth. It is simply using the satellite as a fig-leaf for its long-range missile technology. If Taiwan or one of the former Soviet-bloc states launched a long-range missile, pretending it was a satellite, China and Russia would not sit still.
Rising military tensions in Korea and higher military alert levels by the U.S. and Japan triggered by North Korea¡¯s missile launch would not be favorable to China or Russia. South Korea, the U.S. and Japan should focus their diplomatic efforts through a shared understanding that international efforts to stop North Korea¡¯s missile launch depend on the participation of China and Russia.
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