Newsnomics AJAY ANGELINA reports | 

The International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a resolution that strongly condemns DPRK(Democratic People's Republic of Korea)’s continuous missile launches pose a threat to international navigation safety since last year 2022.

The resolution was adopted by IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee for the first time to deal with the international maritime safety issues at its 107th session in London on May 31,2023 according to the South Korea Foreign Ministry.

Earlier in December 2022, the Maritime Safety Committee resolution was discussed as a follow-up to the Decision of the 128th session mentions the Maritime Safety Committee would consider possible measures against the DPRK's unlawful missile launches mentioned by the South Korean Foreign Ministry.

“The resolution adopted this time strongly condemns the DPRK's missile launch not only as a violation of United Nations Security Council resolutions, but also as an act that seriously threatens the safety of seafarers and international shipping. It also urgently calls upon the DPRK to comply strictly with relevant IMO conventions and resolutions and stop unlawful missile launches.”

Through this resolution, the member states also requested to establish close and cooperative relationships with relevant international organizations, including the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), in order to take practicable actions to respond to the danger to international shipping lanes posed by the DPRK's repeated missile launches.

The number of member states condemned the DPRK for its latest launch of a long-range ballistic missile under the pretext of a “satellite" launch as a serious violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and an act that threatens the safety of seafarers and international shipping.

In 1998, 2006, and 2016, the Maritime Safety Committee adopted three circulars expressing concern over missile launches without prior notification by the DPRK.