By Kim Young-jin
All seven EU envoys stationed in North Korea boycotted its April 15 military parade, Sweden’s top diplomat in Seoul said Friday.
Swedish Ambassador to Seoul Lars Danielsson told The Korea Times that the envoys decided to skip the event to protest the North’s rocket launch, and Pyongyang conveyed its regret through diplomatic channels.
“It was a unanimous decision among the heads of mission of those EU states that have embassies in Pyongyang not to participate given the violation of Security Council resolutions by North Korea when it launched the satellite,” Danielsson said.
Seven EU countries have embassies in Pyongyang _ the United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria. Those of the latter two are headed by a charge d'affaires, not ambassadors.
Danielsson said it was his understanding that North Korean foreign ministry officials expressed “regret” over the move, during conversations on other matters with Swedish diplomats in Pyongyang.
The boycott may have added embarrassment to an already uncomfortable scene as the North had built huge anticipation for the launch of the rocket, which broke into pieces quickly after liftoff.
Pyongyang said the launch aimed specifically to put a satellite into orbit to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of its founder Kim Il-sung, and invited foreign journalists to cover the event. But the international community regarded it as a ballistic missile test that broke UNSC resolutions including 1874, implemented following Pyongyang’s nuclear test three years ago.
European ambassadors to Pyongyang avoided festivities in 2009 to protest its long-range missile launch that year.
“It is important for Europeans and the international community to react when any country violates Security Council resolutions, to show that for us, international obligations are there to be respected,” the ambassador said.
The impoverished North had promised to emerge as a “strong and prosperous” state by the landmark date and had reportedly been in high gear to renovate the capital, even mobilizing university students for construction work. Hotels were reportedly filled to the brim with invited guests.
The UNSC this week adopted a presidential statement deploring the launch. Featuring tougher language than that following the 2009 launch, the statement includes a so-called “trigger clause” that expresses the council’s “determination to take action accordingly in the event of a further DPRK launch or nuclear test.”
At the parade, new North Korean leader Kim Jong-un the founder’s grandson -- gave his first public speech before Pyongyang rolled out what appeared to be a new ballistic missile on a 16-wheel vehicle among some 880 pieces military hardware.
The appearance of the missile has sparked concern and debate as some said it could be a new intercontinental ballistic missile, while others argued it was a mockup.
Many worry the North’s missile and nuclear activities are moving Pyongyang closer to developing a long-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead as part of its “military first” policy.
Kim underscored his commitment to that policy, saying in the speech it would be the regime’s “first, second and third” priorities. Thought to be in his late twenties, he was thrust into the role of leader following the December death of his father Kim Jong-il.
The European Community established diplomatic relations with the North in 2001.