By Kang Seung-woo
President Park Geun-hye renewed calls for the international community to draw up tougher sanctions to impose on North Korea, Tuesday, saying failure to do this could send the "wrong signal" to Pyongyang.
The appeal is regarded as a message to China, analysts said.
"Should the U.N. Security Council fail to take strict and effective measures again this time, the international community could send the wrong signal to Pyongyang that will let it conduct a fifth and sixth nuclear test," Park said during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae.
"The international community should make sure the North clearly recognizes what outcomes its ill-advised moves bring," she said.
She also asked officials to make diplomatic efforts to ensure that the U.N. Security Council comes up with strong and comprehensive sanctions by cooperating closely with the U.S. and other regional powers.
In the wake of the Kim Jong-un regime's latest military provocation on Jan. 6, the U.N. Security Council has been discussing a new resolution to further strengthen sanctions on the North; and Seoul has agreed with its allies ― the United States and Japan ― to work together for stronger measures to be imposed.
However, the Chinese government's "non-cooperative attitude" is emerging as a major impediment to stricter sanctions on the North.
China, one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the council, apparently stands against going too far on the North because such stricter action could lead to the North's collapse and instability on its border.
Amid no clear sign of China's cooperation on the U.N. sanctions, President Park seems to have launched efforts to call on Beijing to change its position.
"President Park's remarks are a message urging China to aggressively join the U.N. sanctions, or we will take all available measures, including a deployment of the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) system," said An Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies.
During last week's New Year address, Park said that the government will review requests from the U.S. Forces Korea to deploy THAAD here to better defend against the North's evolving missile and nuclear weapons technology.
Her THAAD comment was widely regarded as a measure to alert China to swiftly rein in the North's nuclear ambitions. China strongly opposes the deployment of the U.S. missile interceptor on Korean soil, claiming that THAAD could be a threat to its security.
At the same time, Park said that the military should remain on high alert against a possible North Korea military provocation and a cyber attack.
In retaliation to the nuclear test, the South Korean military has resumed broadcasting anti-North propaganda messages near the border that led to an inter-Korean exchange of fire in August.
On Monday, the South said that massive spam emails sent to its public organizations were traced to an internet network in northeast China that was behind a cyber attack on its nuclear power operator in 2014.
President Park Geun-hye renewed calls for the international community to draw up tougher sanctions to impose on North Korea, Tuesday, saying failure to do this could send the "wrong signal" to Pyongyang.
The appeal is regarded as a message to China, analysts said.
"Should the U.N. Security Council fail to take strict and effective measures again this time, the international community could send the wrong signal to Pyongyang that will let it conduct a fifth and sixth nuclear test," Park said during a Cabinet meeting at Cheong Wa Dae.
"The international community should make sure the North clearly recognizes what outcomes its ill-advised moves bring," she said.
She also asked officials to make diplomatic efforts to ensure that the U.N. Security Council comes up with strong and comprehensive sanctions by cooperating closely with the U.S. and other regional powers.
In the wake of the Kim Jong-un regime's latest military provocation on Jan. 6, the U.N. Security Council has been discussing a new resolution to further strengthen sanctions on the North; and Seoul has agreed with its allies ― the United States and Japan ― to work together for stronger measures to be imposed.
However, the Chinese government's "non-cooperative attitude" is emerging as a major impediment to stricter sanctions on the North.
China, one of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the council, apparently stands against going too far on the North because such stricter action could lead to the North's collapse and instability on its border.
Amid no clear sign of China's cooperation on the U.N. sanctions, President Park seems to have launched efforts to call on Beijing to change its position.
"President Park's remarks are a message urging China to aggressively join the U.N. sanctions, or we will take all available measures, including a deployment of the terminal high-altitude area defense (THAAD) system," said An Chan-il, head of the World Institute for North Korea Studies.
During last week's New Year address, Park said that the government will review requests from the U.S. Forces Korea to deploy THAAD here to better defend against the North's evolving missile and nuclear weapons technology.
Her THAAD comment was widely regarded as a measure to alert China to swiftly rein in the North's nuclear ambitions. China strongly opposes the deployment of the U.S. missile interceptor on Korean soil, claiming that THAAD could be a threat to its security.
At the same time, Park said that the military should remain on high alert against a possible North Korea military provocation and a cyber attack.
In retaliation to the nuclear test, the South Korean military has resumed broadcasting anti-North propaganda messages near the border that led to an inter-Korean exchange of fire in August.
On Monday, the South said that massive spam emails sent to its public organizations were traced to an internet network in northeast China that was behind a cyber attack on its nuclear power operator in 2014.
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