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US top diplomat to call for maximum pressure on N.Korea during UN Security Council meeting

WASHINGTON, December 14. /TASS/. US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson will take part in the ministerial meeting of the UN Security Council, planning to call on all council members to exert maximum pressure on North Korea, the US Department of State said in a statement.

"Secretary Tillerson will reiterate that the United States and the international community will not stand by while North Korea continues to develop nuclear and missile capabilities that openly threaten international peace and security," the statement reads. "The Secretary will continue to call on all member states to work together and maintain maximum pressure on the DPRK in order to compel North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

UN Security Council Ministerial Briefing on Non-Proliferation and the DPRK will take place on Friday.

The situation on the Korean Peninsula remains tense as Pyongyang continues to develop its nuclear and missile programs, while Seoul and Washington hold joint military drills. On November 29, North Korea conducted a missile launch, the first since September 15. North Korea’s Central News Agency (KCNA) said that the Hwasong-15 missile had covered a distance of 950 kilometers during its 53-minute flight, reaching an altitude of 4,475 kilometers. After the launch, Pyongyang announced that the missile was capable of carrying a nuclear warhead, while the entire US territory was within its range.