This archive report was first published on 7 December 2019.
On December 6, 2019, North Korea's ambassador to the UN, Kim Song, responded to a joint statement from Belgium, Estonia, France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom condemning North Korea's ballistic missile tests.
According to Song, the Europeans' 'paranoia' and the US's 'hostile policy' have led North Korea to conclude that it 'does not need to have lengthy talks with the US now'.
North Korea has carried out 13 ballistic missile launches since May, with the most recent test occurring on November 28, 2019.
UN diplomats fear that North Korea will resume long-range nuclear or ballistic tests if no progress is made soon, particularly with a looming end-of-year deadline set by North Korea for some kind of US concession.
