The United States on Wednesday denounced Russia’s “cynicism” which “obstructs” the application of UN sanctions against North Korea to try to “escape” criticism of its imports from North Korean weapons.
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In March 2024, Russia, putting its vet on a resolution of the Security Council, imposed the end of the UN sanctions monitoring system against Pyongyang and its nuclear program.
The sanctions decided in 2006 and reinforced several times since has been in place, but the committee responsible for monitoring them no longer exists.
In this context, several members of the Council, including the United States and South Korea, summoned this meeting on Wednesday, to ensure that the Member States are “aware of the violations of sanctions and bypass activities which generate revenues for the illegal programs of weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles” North Korean, said the American Ambassador Dorothy Shea.
North Korea “continuously continues to violate the resolutions of the council by exporting coal and iron to China,” she noted.
And since September 2023, it has transferred “more than 24,000 containers of ammunition and equipment linked to ammunition, as well as much more than 100 ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine,” she added.
“It is clear, on the basis of the evidence presented today, that Russia is obstructing cynicism at work on the application of sanctions against North Korea to try to escape reproaches on its own violations,” she insisted.
South Korean ambassador Jonkook Hwang joined these criticisms, denouncing “illegal military cooperation” between Russia and North Korea.
“While Pyongyang’s actions clearly and continuously challenge the Council’s decisions, the Council should consider strengthening existing sanctions, not their weakening,” he added.
The latter believes that Russian support allows in particular the continuation of the North Korean nuclear program, but also the “revitalization” of its conventional arms industry.
In May 2022, Russia and China had vetoed a resolution imposing new sanctions against Pyongyang.
Since 2019, the two countries, notably highlighting the humanitarian situation of the North Korean population, demanded the reduction of sanctions, which have no end date.
