Latest missile launch shows N Korea’s program goes on despite sanctions - analyst

MOSCOW, April 5. /TASS/. North Korea’s latest missile launch indicates that Pyongyang is determined to go ahead with its missile program despite sanctions, the director of the Asian Strategy Center at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Economics, Georgy Toloraya, said about Wednesday’s launch of a ballistic missile in North Korea. "China’s President Xi Jinping is due to visit the United States on April 6-7. The launch of an intermediate range missile is a warning to Xi and US President Donald Trump North Korea will go ahead with its missile program in defiance of sanctions," he said. "Stopping it is impossible. The sanctions against North Korea either do not work at all or are unable to achieve the desired effect. In other words, they make life harder for the North Korean people, but they do not stop the nuclear and missile program." Toloraya believes that Washington’s policy of tightening sanctions against North Korea is futile. "This way is obviously not constructive. Over the past quarter of a century it proved utterly inefficient. Over this period of time North Korea, a country that once had no modern weapons at all, has now turned itself into a power possessing nuclear and missile capabilities, although officially this is not recognized," he said. Toloraya believes that the only solution possible will be to take into account North Korea’s legitimate concerns about the security of the state and to give up attempts at taking over or destabilizing that state. "This will be easily achievable through talks - bilateral (between the United States and North Korea) and in the six-party format, which would make it possible to take into account the interests of North Korea and all countries involved that have legitimate interests. Only this will allow for establishing stability that cannot be achieved on the bilateral track." Toloraya dwelt upon Russia’s role in negotiations on the North Korean problem. "The six-party format is the only reasonable format that will enable Russia to have a say, because all other formats exclude Russia," Toloraya said. "Only this format will make it possible to enhance the achieved agreements and to create a system of checks and counter-balances to guarantee their implementation. Whenever the United States and North Korea agree on something between themselves, as a rule both countries eventually default on their obligations. The same applies to agreements between two Koreas. It is multilateral talks on the entire range of security and stability problems in Northeast Asia and in the Korean Peninsula that may yield some effect. Of course, they are not confined to the nuclear problem. It is part of the general problem of maintaining security and stability in this region." Latest launch of a ballistic missile in North Korea North Korea on Wednesday carried out the launch of an intermediate range ballistic missile Pukguksong-2. The missile flew about 60 kilometers and reached an altitude of 189 kilometers. South Korean military specialists believe the purpose was to further improve ballistic technologies. The launch was timed for the forthcoming visit of China’s leader to the United States. Two weeks ago North Korea’s attempt to launch a ballistic missile ended in failure. UN Security Council resolutions prohibit Pyongyang from conducting such activities. Read more