U.N. Security Council adopts new sanctions on N. Korea

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday adopted stronger sanctions against North Korea 82 days after Pyongyang conducted its fifth nuclear test. Following the North’s fourth nuclear test on January 6, the UNSC took 56 days to adopt Resolution No. 2270. South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se told the National Assembly on the previous day that the new sanctions are the “most effective” ones. At a luncheon meeting with foreign ambassadors to South Korea, Yun asked them for cooperation in responding to the North’s nuclear programs and sanctioning Pyongyang.

The UNSC decided to limit North Korea’s coal exports exceeding 38 percent of its exports in 2015. Starting 2017, the UNSC will put a cap on North Korea's total exports of coal at 7.5 million tons or 400 million U.S. dollars.

A South Korean government official said that the 38 percent cap resulted from a “political compromise” between China and the United States. In addition to the Resolution No. 2270, which banned the North’s exports of iron, iron ores, gold, titanium and vanadium ores, the latest sanctions also banned exports of certain metals such as copper, nickel, silver and zinc.

The North will also be banned from exporting large statues and monuments created by the Mansudae Art Studio and from importing helicopters and ships. The new resolution also called for member states to pay attention to overseas North Korean workers, as Pyongyang can earn foreign cash for developing weapons of mass destruction.

In addition, the resolution tightens screws in North Korea’s access to international financial networks. North Korean financial institutions are not allowed to open new overseas offices or financial accounts and are required to close existing ones within 90 days. Also prohibited is providing public or private financial support for the North’s international trade.

The new sanctions will further constrict North Korean diplomats’ activities. The UNSC urged U.N. member states to reduce North Korean diplomatic missions and limit the number of bank accounts per one North Korean diplomat to one. The sanctions also ban North Korean diplomatic missions from leasing their properties for profits.

Soong-Ho Cho shcho@donga.com · Sung-Ha Joo zsh75@donga.com