A three-hour meeting of the United Nations Security Council has yielded no new resolutions against North Korea. The United States in particular had been pressing for a harsh response to the failed launch of a communications satellite by the East Asian state.
Yet the council was divided on the seriousness of the launch, with Russia and China urging restraint from all sides. The closed door session saw the United States and Japan demanding a refresh resolution, while Vietnam and Libya reportedly attempted to water it down. Ultimately, Russia and China insisted on further study before it was decided if this morning’s launch had violated previous resolutions.
The potential for such a resolution will largely depend on the interpretation of what exactly North Korea was attempting to do. The previous resolutions prohibited them from developing their long-range missile technology, and while the US and Japan indeed insist that’s what was done, North Korea has said it was simply a satellite launch.