South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se accused North Korea on Thursday of “totally ridiculing” the authority of the United Nations through its nuclear and missile tests and said it was time to reconsider whether it was qualified for UN membership.
In an address to the annual United Nations General Assembly, Yun said the UN Security Council should adopt “stronger, comprehensive” sanctions on North Korea after its fifth nuclear test on Sept. 9 and close loopholes in existing measures, Reuters reported.
“North Korea’s repeated violations and non-compliance of Security Council resolutions and international norms is unprecedented and has no parallel in the history of the UN,” Yun said.
“North Korea is totally ridiculing the authority of the General Assembly and the Security Council.”
“Therefore, I believe it is high time to seriously reconsider whether North Korea is qualified as a peace-loving UN member, as many countries are already questioning.”
Yun said North Korea had not only advanced its nuclear and missile capacity, but publicly threatened to use those weapons preemptively. He said it was the “last chance” to put a brake on its nuclear ambitions.
The south Korean minister also called for action against North Korea’s violations of the rights of its own people and said there should be greater focus on North Korean workers abroad and the possible diversion of their wages to weapons programs.
