North Korea playing with fire

 A local daily has said that in another reckless act, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK, has conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test to date and this is a matter of grave concern that necessitates stern international action.

"The test-firing by Pyongyang of what it claims is a hydrogen bomb able to fit atop a missile is yet another flagrant violation of UN Security Council resolutions," said The Gulf Today in an editorial on Monday.

The paper went on to say, "North Korea has been launching missiles at a record pace this year and fired a potentially nuclear-capable missile over northern Japan last week.

"With such repeated provocative acts, the DPRK is increasingly choosing the path of isolation. Sanctions and other measures have proved not potent enough to make it see reason. Its blatant disregard for international law cannot be tolerated anymore.

"The tensions related to the crisis in the region have reached unprecedented levels. Just last month, the UN Security Council strengthened sanctions against DPRK’s exports. Unanimously adopting resolution 2371 (2017), the Council imposed a full ban on the export of coal, iron and iron ore from the north-east Asian country. Previously those items could be exported for livelihood purposes, for a limited amount.

"What is worrisome is that, starting with the launches of two inter-continental ballistic missiles in July that are believed to have the range to strike the US mainland, North Korea has been far more aggressive in its military activities over the past few months than usual.

"US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin is expected to propose new sanctions to prevent any country that trades with North Korea from doing business with the US. How effective this measure would be has to be seen, considering that similar actions so far have not had the desired impact.

"Incidentally, about 90 percent of North Korean exports go to China. When last month the UN Security Council adopted a seventh set of sanctions aimed at depriving the North of a billion dollars in income from exports, China approved the measures.

"The ability of the International Atomic Energy Agency to monitor North Korea’s dangerous programme is also limited. Its inspectors have been shut out of the country since 2002, and Pyongyang unilaterally withdrew from the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty a year later.

"Nuclear weapons are a threat to entire humanity. The world community has given DPRK too long a rope. It should return to the path of dialogue and abandon all nuclear weapons and nuclear programmes in a verifiable manner without more ado," concluded the Sharjah-based daily.