South Korean Foreign Minister Urges UN to Mull Expelling North Korea

South Korea’s Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se suggested Saturday the UN should "seriously consider" expelling North Korea for its violations of UN nuclear and missile bans, local media reported.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The UN Security Council held an urgent meeting in New York earlier in the day after the North fired off another ballistic missile on Saturday. The projectile fell apart over land minutes after the liftoff.

"We could take potent measures such as halting the export and supply of crude oil to North Korea… and seriously consider whether North Korea, a serial offender, is qualified to be a member of the United Nations as well as downgrading diplomatic relations with North Korea," he said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.

The minister stressed the measures were intended "not to bring North Korea to its knees, but to it bring it back to the negotiating table for genuine denuclearization." He said, however, talks for the sake of talks were not an option as Pyongyang had first to prove its goodwill.

North Korea, a UN member state since 1991, has been conducting regular ballistic missile tests in an attempt to build a weapon that could hit the United States. It accuses Washington of destabilizing the Korean peninsula, including by giving the South a missile system called THAAD.