Pyongyang continues to test ballistic missiles despite these tests in defiance of UN bans and says it is also developing hypersonic weapons.
The United States pushes the UN Security Council to impose tougher sanctions against North Korea for carrying out a series of missile tests in contravention of UN resolutions. The US Ambassador for the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, conveyed this push to the United Nations on Wednesday (12/01/2022).
“The US is proposing UN sanctions following North Korea’s six ballistic missile launches since September 2021, each of which was in violation of UN Security Council resolutions,” Thomas-Greenfield said on Twitter, after Washington blacklisted six North Koreans, one Russian, and one Russian company and accused them of buying goods for the missile program from Russia and China.
“Today’s designations convey our serious concern about North Korea’s continued ballistic missile launches and proliferation activities,” he wrote in a separate tweet. “We urge all @UN Member States to fully implement their obligations under UNSC resolutions.”
A US diplomat told Reuters news agency that Washington had proposed that five men also be subject to a UN travel ban and asset freezing. The move must be approved by consensus by North Korea’s 15-member sanctions committee, including Russia and China.
“We continue to coordinate with partners to prepare the additional three individuals and entities designated by the State for UN nomination,” the diplomat said.
Pyongyang on Tuesday carried out its second missile launch in less than a week, with state media publishing photos of leader Kim Jong Un overseeing a hypersonic missile test.
Such weapons are considered dangerous for their maneuverability and ability to evade traditional defenses. This weapon is also being developed by the US, China and Russia. North Korea first tested what it said was a hypersonic weapon in September last year.
The United Nations first imposed sanctions on North Korea in 2006 over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, and those measures have been tightened further over the years to stop funding for illicit programs.
Denuclearization talks have stalled since a summit in Hanoi between Kim and then US President Donald Trump broke down over Pyongyang’s demands for sanctions relief.
Joe Biden, who took office a year ago, said he was willing to reopen discussions.
North Korea continued to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs during the first half of 2021 in violation of UN sanctions and despite the country’s deteriorating economic situation. That’s what the UN sanctions monitor reported in August.
