Home Politics News US to North Korea: Focus on People’s Priorities, Not Missiles

US to North Korea: Focus on People’s Priorities, Not Missiles

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US to North Korea: Focus on People's Priorities, Not Missiles
US to North Korea: Focus on People's Priorities, Not Missiles

On Monday, the US urged North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and focus on its people’s needs, while Russia and China blamed sanctions for exacerbating the country’s humanitarian condition.

As part of its chairmanship of the 15-member United Nations Security Council in February, Russia focused attention on sanctions. However, because he tested positive for COVID-19, Russia’s UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia was unable to chair the conference, officials claimed.

“We urge the DPRK to show its commitment to the well-being of its own people by respecting human rights, defunding its illegal WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and ballistic missiles programmes, and prioritising the needs of its own people – the vulnerable North Koreans,” said US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield.

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The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea is North Korea’s legal name. It has been sanctioned by the UN since 2006 because of its nuclear and missile programmes.

In November, Russia and China resurrected a 2019 campaign to lift UN sanctions on North Korea in an effort to ameliorate the humanitarian situation, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. China and Russia did not submit the move to a vote since it had little support or engagement from council members.

“If the council considers ordinary Koreans rather than geopolitics, this approach deserves support,” said Dmitry Polyanskiy, Deputy Russian U.N. Ambassador. “We are persuaded that the Security Council sanctions system need a significant dose of humanization.”

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According to an excerpt of a confidential United Nations assessment reviewed by Reuters on Saturday, North Korea’s humanitarian situation “continues to worsen.” According to the report, this was mostly owing to Pyongyang’s COVID-19 blockade.

Both Russia and China used Monday’s Security Council meeting to decry unilateral actions without naming anyone. “They’ve been flinging them about left, right, and centre in a frenzy, to the point that they appear to be addicted,” China’s UN Ambassador Zhang Jun remarked.

Thomas-Greenfield expressed worry over attempts to “criticise and delegitimize” unilateral sanctions as illegal, saying the US unequivocally rejects that view.