President Barack Obama condemned North Korea’s rocket launch and called on the United Nations Security Council to act, while his administration began reaching out to allies for support.
“North Korea made a launch this morning that defies U.N. Security Council resolutions, that harms peace and stability for northeast Asia,” Obama said at a U.S.-European Union summit here. “This action demands a response from the international community, including from the United Nations Security Council, to demonstrate that its resolution cannot be defied with impunity.”
North Korea’s much-anticipated launch created another challenge for Obama in the midst of a week that strenuously tested his leadership abroad.
It also preceded by just a few hours a major speech the president delivered in a historic Prague city square, calling for the eradication of the world’s nuclear weapons stockpiles and programs.
A statement by the United States Northern Command confirmed North Korea’s launch of a Taepodong 2 missile. Northern Command said part of the missile fell into the Sea of Japan, while the payload dropped into the Pacific Ocean.
The rocket never reached orbit, but the fact that it was a dud did not change Obama’s stance on North Korea’s intent, said White House press secretary Robert Gibbs.
“Look, the launch itself was the violation, not the fact that the launch we now see was unsuccessful,” Gibbs said. “It was the launch itself that was the provocation and in violation of Security Council resolutions.”
Obama, in Prague for meetings with members of the European Union, was awakened around 4:30 a.m. local time and informed of the launch. Gibbs said the president got up and started making calls.
Gibbs added that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who has been with Obama overseas since late last week, was calling her counterparts abroad to discuss the launch and how to proceed. It was unclear whether the action would reinvigorate the six-party talks of nations working to disarm North Korea.
The White House hoped early in the day that North Korea’s launch would underscore Obama’s broader message of the day about ending nuclear proliferation. But by late in the day in Prague, it was clear the launch had eclipsed Obama’s speech in terms of news coverage. If anything, the launch highlighted the difficulties world leaders face in bringing rogue nations into compliance with existing arms control measures.
Before a crowd of 20,000 in Hradcany Square, Obama described a multi-front process to begin drawing down nuclear weapons and weapons development programs, with the ultimate goal being the eradication of all such weapons.
“I state clearly and with conviction America’s commitment to seek the peace and security of a world without nuclear weapons,” Obama said.
He acknowledged success on such a program may not come in his lifetime, but he said critics who would say it can’t be done were “cowards.”
Obama said his administration “will seek engagement with Iran” on its own nuclear ambitions in an effort to persuade it to drop the idea and take its “rightful place in the community of nations.”
“Just this morning we were reminded again of why we need a new and more vigorous approach,” Obama said. “North Korea broke the rules once again by testing a rocket that could be used for long-range missiles.”
