The United Nations Security Council has unanimously passed a new round of sanctions on the country following its most recent nuclear test.
The UN Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to impose fresh sanctions on North Korea in retaliation for its nuclear test last weekend—after United States, the measure’s sponsor, watered down its initial proposal in order to win support for it. The outcome reflects the difficulty of securing international backing for punitive measures against Pyongyang, as well as the level of international concern about the country’s nuclear and missile programs.
Reuters reported on Monday that the draft resolution calls for a ban on North Korean textile exports, one of the country’s main generators of foreign exchange, as well as for a cap on crude-oil imports. But the U. S. had to drop its more stringent demands, the news agency reported, including an oil embargo on North Korea—which would dramatically weaken the Kim Jong Un regime—a financial and travel ban on the North Korean leader, and the ability to inspect any ships suspected of carrying illicit goods to or from North Korea.
Those demands were unacceptable to China and Russia, both veto-wielding members of the UN Security Council. Even with the relatively weakened resolution, however, China’s and Russia’s votes in favor were far from a sure thing until they were cast Monday evening.
At issue was Pyongyang’s claim on September 3 that it had successfully tested a hydrogen bomb that could be fitted onto a long-range missile. The claim, made amid escalating tensions with its neighbors and the United States, could not be independently verified, but previous North Korean claims about its missile and nuclear programs have more or less been accurate; even when they appear exaggerated, they ultimately point to North Korea’s stated goal: of being able to target the contiguous United States with a nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missile.
Amid the often belligerent political rhetoric coming from Washington, the U. S. has tried to marshal a diplomatic response to North Korea’s actions.
