UNITED NATIONS — South Korea officially referred North Korea to the U.N. Security Council on Friday over the sinking of a navy ship that killed 46 sailors, taking its strongest step ever toward making the communist North face international punishment.
South Korean U.N. Ambassador Park In-Kook handed a letter to Mexican U.N. Ambassador Claude Heller, president of the Security Council, asking for a response from the U.N.’s most powerful body to deter “any further provocations.”
North Korea has steadfastly denied responsibility for the sinking of the Cheonan, and naval spokesman Col. Pak In Ho warned last month in comments to broadcaster AP Television News that any move to retaliate or punish North Korea would mean war.
Heller said he will circulate the letter to the 14 other council members and initiate consultations “to give an appropriate answer to this request.” He will talk to council members before setting a date for the first closed-door council discussion, said Mexican U.N. spokesman Marco Morales.
Despite a history of being attacked by North Korea, Seoul has never taken Pyongyang to the Security Council for an inter-Korean provocation, indicating now that it wants to take the matter beyond the Korean peninsula.
The letter was delivered hours after South Korea’s president, in a hard-hitting speech bereft of diplomatic politeness, called North Korea a liar and a threat to northeast Asia.
He called the ship attack “a military provocation” that also “undermines global peace.”
President Lee Myung-Bak, addressing Asia-Pacific defense ministers, including U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, called for global support to act against North Korea and its secret nuclear weapons program.
