The United Nations Security Council released a resolution that spelled out how and why North Korea must reign in its missile and nuclear weapons programs. In less than an hour, North Korea told the most powerful, most heavily armed leaders of the world to, basically, go and get fucked, if we can put it so bluntly.
North Korea accused the US, Russia, UK, France, Japan, Germany of acting like a bunch of gangsters with its threats and demands to roll back what North Korea describes as weapons programs aimed solely at self-defence.
With Japan even threatening to strike North Korean missile sites in a localised version of Bush's disastrous pre-emption methodology, and South Korea now cutting food aid to the starving millions across the border, the crisis is escalating, instead of decreasing.
China was supposed to sort out North Korea and show the world that it can deal with its "problem child" effectively, thereby proving just how capable China is as a major world power, and how good it is at diplomacy.
From The Australian :
Rejecting the resolution as a "despicable" attempt to isolate North Korea, UN ambassador Pak Gil-yon said the missile tests breached no international agreements, had an important deterrent value and would continue as part of Pyongyang's legitimate right to self-defence.
Before storming from the council chamber, Mr Pak warned that "strong physical actions" would be taken against nations who threatened Pyongyang over future tests.
The tensions built up during the past 11 days spilled over when US ambassador John Bolton mocked Mr Pak for setting a new record in rejecting a Security Council resolution within 45 minutes of its being adopted.
"I could exercise the right of reply on behalf of the US -- but on the other hand, why bother?" Mr Bolton said.
Earlier he said the resolution -- originally drafted by Japan but massaged into its final format by Britain -- sent an unequivocal, unambiguous and unanimous message to Pyongyang to suspend its ballistic missile program, stop procurement of materials related to WMD, and implement its September 2005 commitment to verifiably dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
Japan's Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs Shintaro Ito kept a straight face when he said the council had acted "swiftly and robustly" in response to North Korea's seven missile tests on July 5.
Mr Bolton said North Korea had "recklessly disregarded the will of its neighbours and the world" when it test-fired the missiles, one of them a long-range Taepodong-2 missile capable of reaching parts of the US.
South Korea Cuts Food Aid To North Korea
Nobody really thought South Korea would stick to its promise to cut food aid if North Korea didn't play the game over its missiles and nuclear weapons, but they have. South Korea has denied a request for 500,000 tons of rice. North Korea is furious, tensions increase.
North Korea Becomes China's "Problem Child"
