SKorea minister: North’s tests ‘blatant affront’ to treaty

GENEVA – South Korea’s foreign minister says North Korea’s sixth nuclear test and 20 ballistic missile launches last year amount to a “blatant affront” to the United Nations’ nuclear test ban treaty.

Kang Kyung-wha called on governments Tuesday to make a “strong, united commitment” to implementing U.N. Security Council resolutions to “compel Pyongyang to change course and come to dialogue for a peaceful resolution.”

Kang told the U.N.-backed Conference on Disarmament that sanctions are “not meant to bring down North Korea,” but to convince the country to join other nations in working towards denuclearization.

She said South Korea was “very happy” with North Korea’s participation in the Winter Olympics and now wants talks between the two countries to turn to the issue of ridding the peninsula of nuclear weapons.