© Andrew Kelly / ReutersThe United Nations Security Council sits to meet on North Korea after their latest missile test, at the U.N. headquarters in New York City, U.S., August 29, 2017.
Japan's prime minister and South Korea's president have agreed to ramp up pressure on Pyongyang "to the maximum," seeking tougher sanctions after the UN Security Council unanimously adopted a statement condemning North Korea's latest missile test.
In a phone call Wednesday morning, Shinzo Abe and Moon Jae-in discussed their neighbor's "violent conduct" and agreed that pressure on Pyongyang should be raised "to the maximum," South Korea's presidential office said.
"I certainly hope that we'll be able to have a strong resolution following up this... statement," said Japan's UN ambassador Koro Bessho after the UN Security Council condemned North Korea's latest missile launch.
"The Security Council further condemns the DPRK for its outrageous actions and demands that the DPRK immediately cease all such actions. The Security Council stresses that these DPRK actions are not just a threat to the region, but to all UN member states," read the UNSC statement which, however, did not threaten any sanctions."The world is united against North Korea," US ambassador Nikki Haley said following the unanimous vote on the US-drafted text.
"The United States will not allow their lawlessness to continue," she added.
Comment: The decline of the US is actually occurring at a rather rapid clip. And not just a decline, but something more akin to an implosion. At the same time, and in strong contrast, we can now hold up China and Russia as examples of how relatively responsible countries behave on the world stage.