N. Korean envoy 'very pleased' with launch of missiles
A North Korean nuclear envoy on Thursday said she was "very pleased" with the North's test-launch of two intermediate-range ballistic missiles a day earlier, claiming that Pyongyang successfully developed a delivery vehicle to counter any nuclear attacks from the United States.
Choe Son-hui, deputy director for North American affairs at North Korea's foreign ministry and the North's deputy chief nuclear envoy, made the remarks during a brief press meeting in front of the North Korean Embassy in Beijing.
North Korea fired two Musudan missiles off its east coast early Wednesday in its fifth and sixth attempts to test the missile. The first exploded in midair, but the second flew about 400 kilometers before hitting the East Sea, which is seen as progress.
On Thursday, the North's official Korean Central News Agency said that the latest test of what it calls the Hwasong-10 medium-long-range strategic ballistic missile, known as Musudan to the outside world, was successfully carried out, with leader Kim Jong-un in attendance.
"The Hwasong-10 means that our delivery vehicle (for a nuclear warhead) is obviously successful. So, for us, we are very pleased," she told reporters.
Choe said for the North the mid-range missiles can allow Pyongyang to deal with "any nuclear attacks" from the U.S.
The diplomat was in Beijing and attended a security forum that involved nuclear envoys from South Korea, the United States, China, Russia and Japan.
During the press meeting, Choe said the long-stalled six-party talks would be "meaningless" if the North's denuclearization is a precondition for their resumption.
The official told the forum on Wednesday that the six-party talks are "dead," dashing hopes that Pyongyang might change its course on its nuclear ambitions.
During the press meeting earlier in the day, Choe reiterated that North Korea has no intention of returning back to the negotiating table.
"We built nuclear weapons because of threats from the U.S. Now, I think that we have a delivery vehicle. So, we have no notion of returning back to the talks that discuss the denuclearization of North Korea," Choe said.
Since its fourth nuclear test in January, North Korea has defied U.N. resolutions that ban the North from conducting missile tests using ballistic missile technology.
In New York, the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting Wednesday to discuss North Korea's latest tests of the mid-range missiles.
Alexis Lamek, deputy U.N. ambassador of France that holds the council's rotating presidency for June, told reporters after the meeting that the council plans to adopt a press statement in the coming days. He also said council members recognized the launches are a violation of U.N. resolutions. (Yonhap)