By Lee Hana

The U.N. Security Council issued a statement on May 15 unanimously condemning North Korea's latest missile launches. The 15-member council warned of new sanctions, and demanded that Pyongyang conduct no further tests.

Pointing to the most recent missile launch conducted on May 14, members of the Security Council "expressed their utmost concern over North Korea's highly destabilizing behavior" and vowed to fully implement all measures imposed against North Korea. The members stressed that, "North Korea's illegal ballistic missile activities are contributing to its development of nuclear weapons delivery systems and are greatly increasing tension in the region and beyond."

Moreover, the council emphasized "the vital importance of North Korea showing a sincere commitment to denuclearization through concrete action." To that end, the members "demanded that North Korea conduct no further nuclear or ballistic missile tests."

The press statement was announced one day before the Security Council's emergency session, scheduled for May 16. Member states are expected to discuss strengthened countermeasures against Pyongyang in the upcoming session.

hlee10@korea.kr