The U.N. Security Council is set to discuss North Korea Monday, days after the latest North Korean launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Friday’s launch was widely condemned, including by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who called on North Korea to halt any provocative acts.
North Korean Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said in a statement carried by state media Monday that the country’s missile tests are part of its legitimate right to self-defense and accused Guterres of being a “puppet” of the United States.
North Korea has said its tests are in response to U.S. and South Korean military drills.
Ahead of Monday’s U.N. talks, members of the Group of Seven nations said the Security Council must take “significant measures.”
A joint statement by ministers from the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, Britain, France and Italy said North Korea’s actions “demand a united and robust response by the international community.”
Some information for this story came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
