The Security Council "condemns" North Korea for its multiple missile launches and "requires" all member states "to exercise vigilance and prevent financial resources and missile and missile related items, materials, goods and technology being transferred" to North Korea's missile and weapons of mass destruction programs, the resolution said. The Council also requires the member states not to procure missile or missile-related items from North Korea, it said. The resolution also "strongly urges the DPRK to return immediately to the six-party talks without precondition" and keep a promise it made in September to give up its nuclear program in exchange for economic and other benefits. North Korea's chief U.N. envoy, Pak Gil-yon, quickly rejected the resolution, accusing the U.S. and other Council members of misusing the world body to adopt the resolution. His government in Pyongyang later issued a stronger statement denouncing it. "First, our Republic vehemently denounces and roundly refutes the UNSC 'resolution," a product of the U.S. hostile policy towards the DPRK, and will not be bound to it in the least," the North's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, using the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. The statement further said North Korea "will bolster its war deterrent for self-defense in every way by all means and methods now that the situation has reached the worst phase due to the extremely hostile act of the U.S." The U.S. attempt to invoke Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter -- which allows the use of military power -- "indicates that the resolution constitutes a prelude to the provocation of the second Korean War," it said. The resolution ended a 10-day tug-of-war at the world body after Pyongyang launched seven ballistic missiles on July 4 (Washington time), including its long-range Taepodong-2 that is believed capable of striking the U.S. west coast. It was a compromise among Council members. Japan and the United States had pushed for a binding Chapter 7 resolution but China and Russia had sought a softer resolution with no mention of binding sanctions. The final version watered down the tone considerably by dropping Chapter 7 and instead referring to the Council "acting under its special responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security." U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. John Bolton said that despite the absence of Chapter 7, the resolution is legally binding, given such language as the words "demands" and "requires." He also said the Security Council will remain focused on the matter that "can at any point return to the council for further action." Negotiations will continue among member nations on what steps should follow. "We look forward to North Korea's full, unconditional and immediate compliance," Bolton said."The United States expects that all U.N. member states will immediately act in accordance with the requirements of this resolution." Chinese envoy Wang Gangya said he hopes the resolution "will help all the parties concerned to act calmly and continue diplomatic endeavors" to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. He defended Beijing's opposition to Chapter 7 as a "responsible attitude" to avoid further tension. In 1998, the North launched a missile that overflew Japan and fell into the Pacific Ocean. Since China opposed any resolution on the matter, the Security Council only issued a "press statement." The last time the council adopted a North Korea-related resolution was in 1993 when it asked Pyongyang to reconsider its withdrawal from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). The North Korean ambassador, Pak, insisted that his country was under no obligation to honor its unilaterally declared moratoriums of 1999 and 2002. The 1999 moratorium was declared in return for the U.S. easing economic sanctions against Pyongyang, and Pyongyang reaffirmed it in 2002 in a bilateral agreement with Japan. A moratorium is in effect only when dialogue is under way with these countries, and dialogue has been "hamstrung" by the U.S., he said. Pak said his government remains committed to the six-party agreement to make the Korean Peninsula nuclear-free and said the missile launches are "quite irrelevant" to the six-nation dialogue. Bolton reacted sarcastically by saying that North Korea has "set a world record in rejecting it within 45 minutes after its adoption." Russia's ambassador to the U.N. Vitaly Churkin said Pak's comments show "interesting nature of negotiations with North Korea." "I don't think that this is something completely unexpected," he said. Washington, July 15 (Yonhap News)
