Israel National News - Security Council slaps new sanctions on North Korea

Security Council slaps new sanctions on North Korea

UN Security Council restricts oil supplies vital for North Korea's missile and nuclear programs.

Arutz Sheva North America Staff, 22/12/17 21:30



The UN Security Council on Friday slapped new sanctions on North Korea that will restrict oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs, AFP reported.

The Council, which includes permanent member China, unanimously adopted a U.S.-drafted resolution that also orders the repatriation of North Korean workers abroad and earning revenue for Kim Jong Un's regime.

It is the third raft of sanctions imposed on North Korea this year and comes as the United States and North Korea are showing no signs they are willing to engage in talks to end the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

Tensions on the Korean peninsula have risen markedly in recent months after North Korea’s latest missile and nuclear tests, conducted in defiance of international pressure and United Nations resolutions.

Most recently, North Korea launched a Hwasong-15 missile, a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) which officials said can fly over 13,000 km (8,080 miles).

Pyongyang said following the launch that it had test-fired its most advanced missile, putting the U.S. mainland within range, and also declared itself to be "a responsible nuclear power"

Friday’s resolution bans the supply of nearly 75 percent of refined oil products to North Korea, puts a cap on crude deliveries and orders the repatriation of all North Korean nationals working abroad by the end of 2019, reported AFP.

President Donald Trump has threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if it attacks the United States while North Korea insists the world must now accept that it is a nuclear power.


While U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said Washington is open to dialogue with North Korea, an unconfirmed report this week indicated that the United States is drawing up plans for a “bloody nose” military attack on North Korea to stop its nuclear weapons program.

To prevent North Korea from circumventing sanctions, Friday’s action authorizes all countries to seize, inspect, freeze and impound ships suspected of carrying illegal cargo to and from North Korea.

A total of 16 North Korean officials, most of whom work in banking, were added to the UN sanctions blacklist along with the North Korean ministry of the people's armed forces, which manages logistics for the army.

They will be subjected to a global visa ban and assets freeze.

Ahead of the Council meeting, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said a unanimous vote would be important to send a clear message to Pyongyang that it must abandon its ambition to develop nuclear weapons.

Speaking in The Hague, Guterres said the "unity of the council is necessary to create an opportunity for diplomatic engagement for the de-nuclearization to be achieved through peaceful means."

(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)

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