UNSC Remains Divided over N. Korean Missile Firings

New York, Feb. 20 (Jiji Press)--The U.N. Security Council was again divided over North Korea's ballistic missile launches, during an emergency open session held Monday in response to the latest round of missile tests.

Japan, the United States and other countries said that all member states of the council should stand in unity and condemn the missile firings, while China and Russia continued to take a supportive stance toward Pyongyang.

The open session was the first Security Council meeting to discuss North Korean missile firings since Japan became a nonpermanent member of the council in January. North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles on Monday, only two days after launching a ballistic missile of intercontinental range into waters within Japan's exclusive economic zone.

"Ordinary Japanese citizens could visibly see the ballistic missile falling from the sky. I assume we can all imagine how terrifying it must have been to see a missile flying toward you," Japanese Ambassador to the United Nations Kimihiro Ishikane said.

Ishikane criticized China and Russia, without naming them, saying: "Some also argue that the discussion at the Security Council provokes North Korea and hence we should remain silent. This is wrong."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]