Shortly after the launch, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned it as "clear violations of relevant Security Council resolutions."
Barbara Woodward, the U.K. ambassador to the UN and current Security Council president, called North Korea's recent ICBM launch "unprecedented in scale," warning its serious "implications for both regional and global security." She added that the council promptly scheduled discussions to address the matter.
Woodward also expressed concerns over the North's troop deployment to Russia. "Just look at the level of chaos and conflict around the world that can be traced back to Russia. Russia has not denied the fact that it's doing deals with North Korea to use North Korean troops as cannon fodder for its disastrous war," she said.
In a parliamentary address read by Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, President Yoon Suk Yeol pledged to bolster security amid escalating tensions over North Korea's troop deployment to Russia to support its war in Ukraine and vowed to firmly respond to any illegal activities. Yoon was absent amid a scandal over his wife's alleged involvement in candidate nominations ahead of the general elections in last April.
"The recent international security situation and the illegal military cooperation between North Korea and Russia pose a significant threat to South Korea's national security," Yoon said. "We will thoroughly review all possible scenarios to prepare countermeasures."
