China, Japan welcome U.N. response towards Pyongyang

Key members of the multinational talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea welcomed the United Nations earlier response to the sinking of a South Korean warship.

The U.N. Security Council adopted a president’s statement condemning the deadly torpedo attack which killed 46 South Korean sailors, but did not explicitly blame the communist North Korea. 
 

Japan's U.N. Ambassador Yukio Takasu expressed hope that North Korea listens and responds to the council's message “that this kind of attack is not acceptable, should not be repeated, and any further action ... should not be tolerated.”

 

China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong said, “The situation is moving in the right direction. I can see the feeling from the Security Council is to safeguard peace and stability in the region and to encourage that the parties concerned to exercise restraint from escalating the tension.”
 

The U.N. statement came after Seoul sent a letter to the council on June 4, asking it to formerly respond to the sinking in a manner matching the gravity of North Korea’s military provocation. Five permanent council members, the U.S., Russia, China, Britain and France –- as well asSouth Korea and Japan – agreed on the text.

 

North Korea continues to deny its role in the March 26 sinking of the South Korean warship near their tense sea border, spurning the investigation results by a multinational team of experts.

 

The incident came at a delicate timing as members of the six-party denuclearization talks -– including the U.S., Japan, China, Russia andSouth Korea –- are striving to bring the North back to the negotiation table.