North Korea’s move to continue with its nuclear program has countries on alert as tensions remain high as to what the isolated nation may do. Following its successful hypersonic missile test, the United Nations Security Council is set to meet this week to hold discussions regarding the recent missile test.
The UN Security Council will be meeting Thursday for emergency talks following the testing of North Korea’s hypersonic missiles. The emergency meeting was at the request of the United States, but people familiar with the matter revealed that France and the UK have also pushed for emergency talks. The recent hypersonic missile test was celebrated by Pyongyang, which may result in a violation of the UN resolutions against North Korea and lead to sanctions.
Tensions remain regarding North Korea and its nuclear program, with the isolated nation claiming that there is a need for nuclear weapons for defense purposes. This is especially as the US has increased its military presence in the region following a deal made with the UK and Australia.
At the recent UN General Assembly, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for a formal end to the Korean war. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un had also offered to restore communication lines between the two Koreas, as it was suspended for some time. In his annual parliament session speech, according to state media, Kim blasted the US while noting that the inter-Korean hotline between the two Koreas will be restored depending on the approach taken by South Korea.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo-jong, also said similar comments earlier this week regarding the restoration of the communication lines between North and South Korea.
With the recent testing by North Korea of its hypersonic missile comes speculation that the isolated nation may have received help from other nuclear-capable countries like Russia, China, and Iran, according to a report by the Telegraph. This was because up until this week, North Korea has not had a history of developing hypersonic missiles, and thus it may be hard to believe that scientists in Pyongyang were able to make such developments.
While Iran is not known for having hypersonic missiles in its arsenal, in 2014, the Islamic nation unveiled a facility that can test such weapons. Iran is also known to have friendly relations with North Korea.