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UN Security Council condemns North Korean rocket launch

Posted at 5:43 PM, Feb 07, 2016
and last updated 2016-02-07 17:43:43-05

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power says a new U.N. resolution targeting North Korea over its rocket launch and recent nuclear test must be adopted very quickly and include “unprecedented measures” that its leader, Kim Jong Un, doesn’t expect.

She spoke after Sunday’s emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council. All 15 council members approved a statement condemning the launch and pledging to “expeditiously” adopt a new resolution with “significant” new sanctions.

Meanwhile, the State Department says Secretary of State John Kerry has called the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan to discuss North Korea’s rocket launch using ballistic missile technology.

According to a department statement, Kerry reaffirmed for both foreign ministers in conversations Sunday the United States’ “ironclad commitment to the security and defense” of its allies and said the launch “threatened international peace and security.”

It said Kerry emphasized the importance of a united international response to North Korea’s provocations, including a strong U.N. Security Council resolution.