S. Korea to consult with U.N. council on N. Korean rocket launch

SEOUL, April 6 (Yonhap) -- South Korea plans to deliver its position on North Korea's rocket launch to the U.N. Security Council, which is tussling over a unified response to the communist nation's "provocative act," according to officials here Monday.
The South Korean government had said in a statement issued shortly after Sunday's
rocket launch that it "clearly violates U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 and
it is a provocative act threatening stability and peace in Northeast Asia,
despite any countervailing claims by North Korea."
Pyongyang is believed to have attempted a satellite launch, but the three-stage
rocket fizzled into the Pacific Ocean after traveling more than 3,000 km,
according to South Korean military authorities. South Korea and its allies say
the launch itself violates the resolution, which bars the North from ballistic
missile activity.
"The government plans to convey the statement through its ambassador to the U.N.
to the chairperson of the Security Council, and it will be circulated as an
official document to all U.N. member states," foreign ministry spokesman Moon
Tae-young said.
South Korea is not a member of the 15-member council, but officials say Seoul can
play a role in related discussions as a concerned party.
They stressed that the North's action cannot go unpunished.
"There will be an outcome in one form or another -- whether a new resolution or a
chairman's statement," Foreign Minister Yu Myung-hwan said in an emergency
National Assembly committee session convened to discuss countermeasures to the
launch.
He would not predict the contents of the envisioned U.N. document, saying that
will depend on consultations among the member countries.
Coming out of the first Security Council session on Sunday (local time) after
North Korea's rocket launch, Japanese and U.S. ambassadors called for a new
resolution. But Russia and China, the North's only major remaining ally, are
reportedly reluctant to push for stern measures against Pyongyang.
North Korea had followed minimal international guidelines before the launch by
informing global agencies on aviation and shipping safety of the dates and time
during which the rocket would be fired. It also joined the Outer Space Treaty
last month.
In 2006, North Korea tested its missiles and conducted a nuclear test without
prior notice. It gave notice to Russia, China and the U.S. shortly before
Sunday's launch, according to officials.
"We received information from the U.S. on the rocket launch about one hour before
it happened," a foreign ministry official said on condition of anonymity. "That
is the reason why a National Security Council meeting was convened at 11 a.m."
The North fired off the rocket at 11:30 a.m. from its east coast base.
He added that the U.N. council is expected to take at least a week to produce an
outcome on the matter. "It could take a few weeks," he said.
Mexican Ambassador Claude Heller, who holds the rotating chair of the Security
Council this month, said another session will be held soon to "continue
consultations on an appropriate action by the council in accordance with its
responsibilities given the urgency of the matter."
lcd@yna.co.kr
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