SEOUL: South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol advised United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that the UN Security Council should respond to North Korea's provocations with resoluteness and unity.

Yoon made the statements in a phone chat with Guterres on Friday, stating that North Korean provocations constitute a severe threat to peace on the Korean Peninsula and the international community.

Due to vetoes from China and Russia, the Security Council failed to pass a fresh sanctions resolution on North Korea, which had fired a series of ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles, last month.

"Unless the Security Council takes a robust and united response," Yoon told Guterres, "a misleading message could be given that it tolerates North Korea's nuclear and missile development."

Yoon also voiced concerns about the spread of Covid-19 outbreaks in North Korea. He told the UN Chief that North Korea remains unresponsive to South Korea's offer to provide vaccines and treatment for the virus. 

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