US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Friday that a UN statement sent a warning to North Korea against “provocative behavior” and announced she would visit South Korea later this month.
The statement on the sinking of the South Korean warship “sends a clear message that such irresponsible and provocative behavior is a threat to peace and security in the region and will not be tolerated,” Clinton said.
“Attacks on the Republic of Korea are unacceptable,” she said in a statement, referring to South Korea by its official name.
Clinton said she would visit South Korea later this month for “further consultations with our South Korean allies.”
“The commitment of the United States to South Korea’s security and sovereignty is unwavering,” she said.
The UN condemned the sinking of the South Korean warship Cheonan in the Yellow Sea in March, with the loss of 46 lives.
But it did not directly pin blame on North Korea, instead referring to an international investigation convened by South Korea that found that the communist state was responsible.
North Korea hailed the statement as a “great diplomatic victory.”
China, the North’s main ally which wields veto power on the Security Council, urged all sides to move on from the warship sinking on March 26 which has inflamed tensions on the Korean peninsula.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner defended the statement, saying that it provided “unanimous condemnation” of the sinking and “legitimizes the findings” of the investigation.
Toner declined to comment on China’s message that it was time to move on, but said: “We want North Korea to acknowledge and to accept responsibility for its actions.”
Clinton said the UN statement showed that “a peaceful resolution of the issues on the Korean Peninsula will only be possible if North Korea fundamentally changes its behavior,” she said.
“It must comply with international law and obligations, live up to its commitments in the six-party joint statement of 2005, and refrain from provocative behavior,” Clinton said.
She was referred to the 2005 agreement negotiated by China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the United States under which Pyongyang agreed to end its nuclear program in return for aid and security guarantees.