North Korea says that if the United Nations takes issue with its recent test-fire of a submarine-launched ballistic missile while ignoring military exercises between South Korea and the U.S., the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) would be proven to be a political tool.
 
In a letter to the U.N. Security Council president on May 25, the North's ambassador to the U.N., Ja Song-nam, said North Korea’s recent test-fire was a "legitimate measure of a sovereign state to bolster up its self-defense capability against the provocative military maneuvers of the United States."
 
The letter said the UNSC would be "a political tool of the high-handed and arbitrary practice of one permanent member" if it only takes issue with the missile launch while ignoring the military exercises, which it called "real nuclear war games of aggression" aimed at occupying Pyongyang.
 
Ja went on to say that the UNSC should convene an emergency meeting on the joint exercises.
 
The council can take up the matter only if there is a request from a council member. North Korea asked the UNSC to address the issue twice last year, but no formal discussions took place.