A UN official raised concerns on Wednesday over North Korea’s “troubling pattern” of weapons testing, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) and intermediate-range hypersonic missiles.

UN Assistant Secretary-General Khaled Khiari warned that the persistent pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs defies international law and “continue[s] to undermine the global nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation regime.”

Khiari reiterated the UN’s position on the matter, urging North Korea to align with global non-proliferation efforts. He stated: “We continue our strong calls on the DPRK to fully comply with its international obligations, including the NPT and IAEA safeguards, and to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.”

North Korea has continued to conduct launches of ballistic missiles as part of its five-year military development plan from 2021 to 2025. The UN noted reports from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) that North Korea has maintained its open displays of undeclared uranium enrichment facilities at Yongbyon and Kangson.

In 2017, the UN held a conference to negotiate a legally binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons aimed at promoting global nuclear disarmament. The conference adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), which prohibits countries from developing, testing, producing, acquiring, or using nuclear weapons. According to Article 1 of the TPNW, each state party must not “develop, test, produce, manufacture, otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices” nor “use or threaten to use nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices.”

Regarding the ongoing tensions in the broader security landscape of the Korean Peninsula, Khiari emphasized the significance of sustainable peace and the achievement of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through dialogue and diplomacy.