North Korea’s foreign minister has expressed “strong regret” over UN chief Antonio Guterres’ condemnation of the country’s intercontinental ballistic missile launch, state-run outlet KCNA said in a statement.
The North fired an intercontinental ballistic missile on Friday in one of its most powerful tests yet, prompting Guterres to urge Pyongyang to halt any further “provocative actions.”
Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui responded on Sunday by expressing “my strong regret over the fact that the UN secretary general has taken a very deplorable attitude.”
The UN chief’s statement, Choe said, was “oblivious of the purpose and principles of the UN Charter and its proper mission which is to maintain impartiality, objectivity and equity in all matters.”
She added that the episode shows that Guterres “is a puppet of the US.”
Nuclear-armed North Korea has conducted a record-breaking blitz of launches in recent weeks, which Pyongyang — and Moscow — have repeatedly blamed on Washington’s moves to boost the protection it offers to allies Seoul and Tokyo.
