“I welcome the UN Security Council’s unanimous condemnation of North Korea’s missile launch and the tightening of sanctions against it. The Council’s clear response to North Korea’s actions, which blatantly violate international law, shows that the international community will not tolerate the country’s deliberate provocations.
North Korea’s new leadership must now make a choice. If it keeps up its provocations and continues to violate international law and isolate itself, we will not hesitate to respond resolutely, now and in the future. The other option, which we have long been pressing for, is a change of course towards de-escalation, dialogue and reintegration into the international community. The door remains wide open to North Korea. But let me emphasize that what counts are actions, not words.”