Anchor: The United Nations Security Council(UNSC) has unanimously condemned North Korea’s latest missile launch, but remains divided about whether to slap additional sanctions on the defiant regime. Council member states held an emergency session at the UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday to discuss the North's ballistic missile test on Sunday.
Kim Bum-soo has more on what member states had to say.
 
Report:  
 
[Sound bite: U.K. Ambassador to UN Matthew Rycroft] 
“The Panel of Experts has set out a range of specific measures which the U.K. would support, for instance: sanctioning key individuals, updating the record of sanctioned vessels, tightening restrictions on DPRK shipping services and clamping down further on financial transactions.”
 
[Sound bite: Chinese Ambassador to UN Liu Jieyi] 
(Reporter: What could be achieved through imposing new sanctions on North Korea?)
"Well. That's a hypothetical question." 
 
Following the session Tuesday, ambassadors revealed that the UN Security Council(UNSC) is divided over whether to slap more sanctions on North Korea.
 
At the meeting, which followed the council’s media statement condemning the missile launch, UNSC members expressed concerns over the evolving North Korean threats.
 
But as the U.S., Japan, the U.K and France called for devising new sanctions, China remained lukewarm toward the option. 
 
The Chinese ambassador argued that the North's provocations cannot be prevented, due to lack of dialogue. 
 
[Sound bite: Chinese Ambassador to UN Liu Jieyi] 
“But, of course, the measures prescribed in the previous Security Council resolutions should be implemented firmly. But meanwhile, we should also work to reduce tension, to de-escalate, and also to try to achieve denuclearization through dialogue by political and diplomatic means.”
 
China has called for resuming the six-party denuclearization talks that have not been held since 2009.
 
Council's president Ambassador Elbio Rosselli of Uruguay told reporters, however, that the member states are firmly united in rejecting the North's continuation of missile launches.
 
[Sound bite: Uruguayan Ambassador to the UN Elbio Rosselli - UN Security Council President for May (English)]
(Reporter: Was there or was there not a discussion on possible sanctions or a new resolution on North Korea?)
"The issue of further action by the council has been included in the statement yesterday... we are discussing and considering different options. For one decision or other, you need a certain coalescence of will..."
"There is an absolute condemnation from all 15 members of the council on the conduct of the DPRK."
 
He said the talks would continue.
 
The UNSC first imposed sanctions on Pyongyang in 2006 and has since toughened up the measures as the regime carried out five nuclear tests and two long-range missile launches. The regime led by young leader Kim Jong-un is now threatening to conduct its sixth nuclear test.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News. 

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