January 11

Members of the United Nations Security Council have discussed how to respond to the missile that North Korea launched on January 5.

Pyongyang launched a missile towards the Sea of Japan last Wednesday. North Korean media confirmed the following day that the country test-fired a hypersonic missile.

The Security Council convened an emergency meeting behind closed doors on Monday at the request of five Western countries, including the United States, Britain, and France.

Prior to the meeting, the five nations and Japan issued a joint statement.

Reading the statement, US ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, said that the North's missile launch is a clear violation of multiple Security Council resolutions, and that the country's missile development threatens international peace and security.

The Security Council failed to present a united front against North Korea at previous emergency meetings held after the country's missile launches in September and October.There were differences of opinions between the Western nations and Russia and China.

NHK