United Nations, United States

A majority of the 15-member UN Security Council on Tuesday called on North Korea to give up its ballistic missile programme and condemned its launch of an intercontinental missile last month.

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"This launch, in addition to the more than 100 ballistic missile launches since 2022 to date, is a clear violation of multiple UN Security Council resolutions, jeopardizes international peace and security and threatens to undermine the global nonproliferation regime," the countries said in a joint statement read out by the deputy US ambassador, Robert Wood.

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Besides the United States, the statement was signed by France, Japan, Ecuador, Malta, South Korea, Sierra Leone, Slovenia, Switzerland and Britain. They were also joined by Denmark, Greece and Panama, which will become non-permanent members of the council in January.

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According to the statement, in response to the ICBM launch on October 30, the United States asked the council to adopt a text declaring North Korea to be in violation of UN resolutions. This would need to be approved by all 15 members.

"However, two council members refused to join a united denunciation," the statement said.

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The text does not name the two countries, but the United States regularly accuses Russia and China of protecting North Korea at the United Nations.

"We call on the DPRK to return to negotiations, comply with its obligations under numerous UN Security Council resolutions and abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missile programs," the joint statement said.

It made no mention of a salvo of short range ballistic missiles that North Korea fired, according to the South Korean military, just ahead of the US presidential election on Tuesday.

North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 because of its weapons programmes and they were toughened three times in 2017.

But since then, the council has failed to achieve a common position on North Korea.

In May 2022, China and Russia vetoed a draft resolution that would have slapped new sanctions on North Korea.

Disclaimer: This story has been published from a news agency feed with minimal edits to adhere to WION's style guide. The headline may have been changed to better reflect the content of the story or to make it more suitable for WION audience.