Never had security over the Korean Peninsula attracted so much international attention until the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously July 15 for a resolution denouncing North Korea's ballistic-missile tests. Two days later, the Group of Eight summit held in St. Petersburg, Russia, issued a chairman's statement demanding that North Korea halt its missile tests and abandon its nuclear weapons programs.
Although the international community showed its unity in condemning North Korea, major players at the Security Council wrangled behind the scenes. All this shows that the Peninsula remains geopolitically important as a link between Eurasia and the Pacific Ocean.
A Japanese-proposed resolution calling for sanctions against North Korea under Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter was revised due to opposition by China and Russia, which wanted to maintain friendly relations with the North. China threatened to veto the measure if it came to a vote.
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