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As North Korea fired intercontinental ballistic missiles one after another, the UN Security Council voted on sanctions against North Korea, but it was rejected.
Russia and China have exercised their veto power, and there are even arguments that the Security Council is useless.
Correspondent Kim Soo-hyung reports from Washington.
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[(Countries in favor) Raise your hand.]
Thirteen of the 15 UN Security Council countries agreed, but among the five permanent members of the Security Council that required unanimity, the additional sanctions on North Korea were rejected due to the opposition of Russia and China.
It is the first time that the UN Security Council has failed to cross the threshold since the UN Security Council first decided to impose sanctions on North Korea due to the launch of the Taepodong-2 missile in 2006.
The sanctions include reducing North Korea's imports of crude oil and bans exporting of Kim Jong-un's favorite cigarettes and watch products.
Russia and China have argued that the additional sanctions are ineffective, leaving North Korea at a dead end.
[Vasily Nebenza/Russian Ambassador to the United Nations: A mutually acceptable political and diplomatic solution is the only way to resolve the North Korean problem.]
The US and South Korea were concerned that the denial of additional sanctions could excuse North Korea's escalating tensions. .
[Linda Thomas-Greenfield/US Ambassador to the United Nations: Today's veto is dangerous.
It not only undermined the last resolution of the Security Council that it promised to uphold, it also undermined our collective security.]
Earlier, on February 25th, even the adoption of a resolution condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine was rejected, and the UN Security Council even argued that it was useless.
In a situation where the United States continues to be at odds with Russia as well as China, it seems virtually impossible to pass additional UN sanctions resolutions on North Korea.
(Video coverage: Oh Jeong-sik, Video editing: Jo Moo-hwan)