South Korea's Ambassador to the UN has called for the UN Security Council(UNSC) to respond to North Korea’s violations of its non-proliferation obligations, describing the prospect of non-proliferation as "bleak" amid continued missile and nuclear weapons development by the North. 

Ambassador Hwang Joon-kook made the call on Monday during a U.N. Security Council (UNSC) meeting on nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation at the UN headquarters in New York, saying that global non-proliferation is being challenged more than ever before. 

Hwang said that while the discussion on non-proliferation was under way at the UNSC, North Korea was continuing its provocations, mentioning Monday’s launches of multiple short-range ballistic missiles. 

The envoy said that North Korea has a low threshold for using nuclear weapons, noting that the North’s aggressive nuclear policy even allows for preemptive strikes against South Korea, which Kim Jong-un declared as the nation’s principal enemy. 

Hwang then stressed that permanent members of the Security Council must comply with the non-proliferation system that has been in place for decades, including the Non-Proliferation Treaty. 

The comment was made in apparent reference to Russia, which mentioned the possible use of nuclear weapons in its war against Ukraine.