South Korea levies sanctions on North in response to latest ICBM launch
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South Korea levied unilateral sanctions on the North to target individuals and organizations tied to its weapons programs and satellite industry on Tuesday in response to its latest intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) launch.
“The South Korean government prepared a list of items that North Korea uses in its satellite industry, to ensure that these items do not get exported to the North via a third country,” said the Foreign Ministry in its statement on Tuesday.
The list contains 77 items including relevant optical equipment, antenna, sensors and GPS systems, according to the ministry.
“The list has been shared with major allies and partner nations, so that it can be utilized for their own export restrictions on the North,” it said.
Included in the sanctions were four individuals and six organizations tied to the North’s nuclear and missile development, including Ri Yong-gil, vice marshal and defense minister of North Korea, and two Singapore-based companies.
“They have either partaken in the nuclear and missile development of the North, hired a North Korean IT worker, or took part in illegal financial activities such as money laundering for the North,” said the ministry in its statement.
Any Korean entity wishing to engage with the sanctioned individuals or organizations for financial transactions will need the approval of the Bank of Korea or the Financial Services Commission.
The latest unilateral sanctions were the fifth levied by the Yoon Suk Yeol administration on North Korea, bringing the total sanctioned individuals to 35 and the organizations to 41.
North Korea launched a Hwasong-17 ICBM on March 16, known to be North Korea’s most advanced ICBM, capable of targeting anywhere in the United States when fired at a normal angle.
The test came just two hours and 40 minutes before Yoon was to travel to Japan for a historic summit and discuss threats from the regime. It also coincided with the ongoing Seoul-Washington combined military exercise, the largest to be held in five years.
The UN Security Council convened in New York on Monday but came up empty-handed again in condemning the North's continued violations of the council resolutions.
"I know two members of this council believe we should stay silent, but council silence is not working," said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, addressing the council members. "How many times must the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] violate its UN Security Council resolution obligations before China and Russia stop shielding the DPRK regime?
"From my perspective, enough is enough."
The Security Council, which used to consistently issue resolutions to punish Pyongyang for its military provocations from 2006, failed to issue a sanctions resolution for the first time in May last year.
Russia and China, part of the five permanent members of the council, vetoed the U.S.-drafted resolution to strengthen sanctions on North Korea. A sanctions resolution at the council requires the support of all permanent members.
The council also held an informal meeting on the North Korean human rights issue last Friday, where 14 members out of the total 15 at the council were present, including Russia and China.
"The discussions were focused on ensuring that the human rights situation in the North becomes part of the official agenda on North Korea addressed by the council," said a Foreign Ministry official in meeting with a group of reporters in Seoul on Tuesday.
Thomas-Greenfield, speaking with the press after the meeting, said the meeting highlighted "the clear links between the DPRK's human rights violations and abuses and its development of weapons of mass destruction."
BY ESTHER CHUNG [chung.juhee@joongang.co.kr]
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