Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific speaks at the UN emergency meeting on February 20, 2023. (Photo: VNA)

Khaled Khiari, Assistant Secretary-General for Middle East, Asia and the Pacific urged the Council to show unity in bringing Pyongyang back into dialogue to end its escalating weapons program and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

He said that Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemns the launch, reiterating his calls on North Korea to immediately desist from any further provocative actions and comply with its international obligations under all relevant Security Council resolutions. 

Guterres said the Korean peninsula must be an area of cooperation.