North Korea : France will not accept the normalization of this threat

NON-PROLIFERATION / NORTH KOREA

STATEMENT BY MR. NICOLAS DE RIVIERE,
PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF FRANCE TO THE UNITED NATIONS

TO THE SECURITY COUNCIL
(Translation from French)

New York, June 2 2023

Madam President,

I would like to thank Ms Rosemary DiCarlo for her briefing.

On May 31st of this year, a North Korean military satellite crashed into the sea off the coast of South Korea, along with its space launcher.

This attempted launch is another flagrant violation of international law and the resolutions of this Council. France strongly condemns this new provocation.

This Council has repeatedly called upon North Korea, since September 2009, to refrain from activities related to ballistic missiles designed to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons, including ballistic missile launches and space launchers.

Given that the technologies used in space launches and the firing of ballistic missiles are very similar, this clearly demonstrates the pursuit of North Korea’s ballistic missile program, in disregard of Security Council decisions.

It demonstrates Pyongyang’s determination to continue the escalation of recent months, which have seen an increasing number of launches and irresponsible statements.

This Council can no more remain inactive, and must respond in unity to this latest violation of its own resolutions. We cannot accept North Korea becoming a nuclear state. France will not accept the normalization of this threat to regional and international peace and security.

France underlines its determination to pursue the objective of the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of North Korea. We urge North Korea to comply with its obligations without delay, and to return to the negotiating table by taking up the offers of dialogue that have been made to it on several occasions. Together with its European and international partners, we are fully mobilized to ensure the implementation of Security Council resolutions, and in particular to combat the circumvention of sanctions.

Thank you.