18 December 2024
Thank you, Madam President, for convening this critical meeting requested by seven Council members including Japan. I also thank USG DiCarlo and Mr. Jonah Leff, Executive Director of Conflict Armament Research for their informative briefings.
As we just heard from the briefers, there is enough evidence for the existence and expansion of military cooperation between Russia and DPRK. Their unlawful military cooperation, including direct support by North Korea for Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, marks a dangerous expansion of the conflict, with serious consequences for European and Indo-Pacific security.
Russia is continuously attacking Ukraine using weapons supplied by DPRK, violating the relevant Security Council resolutions. The deployment of North Korean troops to Russia and their engagement in combat against Ukraine constitutes a clear violation of international law, including the UN Charter.
We, as a responsible Security Council member, cannot just sit still and watch this situation, as the relevance of the Security Council, which has been cultivated over 8 decades, is undermined.
The members of the Security Council are the ones above all who should lead in adhering to the Council’s resolutions, but Russia acts to the contrary. No excuse can justify this fact.
The Panel of Experts, established in 2009, was regrettably forced to terminate due to the veto by Russia in April this year. It had been a treasure trove of information over the past 15 years. No reasonable person would doubt that it was Russia’s clear intention to veil its unlawful military cooperation with North Korea.
Madam President,
We now stand at a crossroads, whether we take actions and raise our voices to maintain the international order based on the rule of law, guided by the UN Charter; or, we remain silent in the face of this unprecedented threat to the values and the order of the UN system, and the relevance of this Council.
Japan, particularly as an elected member of the Security Council over the past two years, has been taking actions to defend the values of the UN, and will continue to do so for all time to come.
The Security Council, consisting of only 15 Member States, is responsible for addressing challenges to global peace and security on behalf of all 193 UN Member States, and this role should never be cast aside in the name of a single country’s national interest.
Madam President,
The threat of North Korean military activities goes beyond the region, and now extends around the entire world.
North Korea continues to conduct provocations, including an ICBM-class missile launch at the end of October, which had the highest and longest-length trajectory of any missile that North Korea has launched to date, with an estimated range capability of 15,000 km, covering three fourths of the globe. Not to mention that recent nuclear developments, including the release of images of a uranium enrichment facility for the first time in September, are also of grave concern.
These reckless nuclear and ballistic missiles developments by DPRK jeopardize the global non-proliferation regimes.
In this connection, there is a big question about what North Korea has gained or will gain in return for its military support for Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. Any support or benefit to North Korea related to its nuclear and ballistic missiles developments is a menace to the global non-proliferation regime.
Madam President,
I would like to conclude my remarks by recalling that the advancement of DPRK’s nuclear and missile activities is an imminent threat to the entire globe, and call on all UN Member States to uphold the non-proliferation regime, the very foundation of peace and security of the international community.
Today’s agenda, Non-proliferation/DPRK, clearly describes the reason why we are here to discuss at this critical moment. Japan is committed to addressing this global challenge, not just as a member of the Security Council, but also as a responsible adherent to the United Nations anchored by the UN Charter.
I thank you, Madam President.