- ARAB NEWS
- 25 Apr 2024
Since 1975
TOKYO: North Korea has strongly protested a statement by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemning the launch of a military reconnaissance satellite, branding the criticism an “atrocious act.
In a bulletin issued by Cho Chul-soo of DPRK’s Foreign Ministry, the North said Guterres had violated the country’s “legitimate sovereign rights as a member of the United Nations.It is unfair, unbalanced, and we resolutely condemn and reject it as an act of interference in domestic affairs.”
Cho added: “If Secretary-General Guterres dares to consider taking a position on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea satellite launch as a duty of his office, then first and foremost, he should support the 190-odd United Nations membership in line with his mandate as stipulated in the United Nations Charter.”
Cho accused the United Nations of double standards and ignoring the principles behind the establishment of the United Nations.
The North Korean official demanded the United Nations “deal equally with other nations” and asked why it is criticizing the launch of a satellite by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea while ignoring the satellite launches of other countries.
Cho blamed “the insane rhetoric of the United States and its followers” for criticism that North Korea’s satellite launches violate UN Security Council resolutions by using ballistic missile technology.
“Judging from the unbalanced and prejudiced stance and attitude that Secretary-General Guterres has consistently shown regarding the Korean Peninsula issue, it is hoped that he will be able to provide satisfactory answers to the questions of both us and the international community,” he said.
“The United Nations Security Council’s ‘sanctions resolution’ against North Korea, which prohibits the legal space development rights of individual United Nations member countries, is an anti-Korean hostility of the United States and its followers, who seek to destroy our nation’s sovereignty, right to life, and right to development.”
Cho added that the launch of military reconnaissance satellites by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was “a logical and justifiable response to blatant military threats by the United States and its allies.”
