Obama vows to work to tighten sanctions on North Korea

Obama went on to the Lao capital for a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

In Laos today after a bilateral meeting with South Korea, Obama said it was a pleasure to meet with Park and her delegation.

The UN Security Council met today behind closed doors to try to hammer out a response to North Korea over its test-firing of three mid-range missiles.

Monday’s missile launches were the latest in a series by North Korea this year in violation of Security Council resolutions that were supported by China and that ban all ballistic missile-related activities by Pyongyang. “THAAD is a purely defensive system to deter and defend against North Korean threats”. “And today, I want to reaffirm that our commitment to the defense and security of South Korea, including extended deterrence, is unwavering”.

North Korea launched the missiles while China was hosting the Group of 20 economic summit, she said. “These launches are provocative. They’re a violation of North Korea’s obligations internationally”.

The United States, Japan and South Korea stood united Tuesday in demanding that the U.N.

Hahn Choong Hee, South Korea’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, said Pyongyang was spending “a considerable amount” of its resources in developing weapons of mass destruction while sacrificing the living conditions of North Koreans.

After his meeting with Park, Obama said if North Korea committed to denuclearization then the “opportunities for us to dialogue with them are there”.

The U.N. Security Council on Tuesday strongly condemned North Korea’s latest ballistic missile launches and threatened “further significant measures” if it refuses to stop its nuclear and missile tests.

But it was the first time since the situation escalated this summer that Obama has promised to work with US allies to tighten the noose.

The U.S. and South Korea both provide humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people and for refugees, Obama said. Beijing has been angered by U.S. -South Korea alliance “is playing a pivotal role for the peace and stability of not only the Korean Peninsula, but the entire region”.

United Nations resolutions bar North Korea from any use of ballistic missile technology, but Pyongyang has carried out several launches following its fourth nuclear test in January. In addition to the summit being held nearby in China, the launches occurred three days after the USA and South Korea concluded annual war games and ahead of Friday’s 68th anniversary of the north’s own founding.

Park said she expressed her gratitude to Obama for clearly expressing the unwavering commitment of the US for South Korea’s defense.

“There were very strong and numerous voices in the room for doing more”, she said.

Park told reporters North Korea’s move was “fundamentally threatening the security” of the Korean Peninsula.