Maritime Body Slams N.Korea's Surprise Missile Launches

The International Maritime Organization last week expressed "grave concerns" over North Korea's repeated unannounced missile launches and urged it to comply with IMO conventions and resolutions.

The North has launched 21 ballistic missiles this year without declaring any no-fly and no-sail zones for the safety of ships and aircraft.

The IMO adopted similar statements in 1998 and 2006 but named the North in its statement for the first time this year.

"The latest IMO statement makes it clear that the North threatens navigational safety," a Foreign Ministry spokesman here said. "It sends a clear message to Pyongyang that firing missiles without warnings poses a grave threat to the safety of international navigation and that the international community isn't tolerating this."

The North submitted a document opposing the adoption of the statement, but representatives from 20 countries backed the statement, the spokesman added.

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