On Wednesday 30 November, the European Union hailed the adoption of a new resolution on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK - North Korea) by the United Nations Security Council.
This Resolution 2321, which is a response to the North Korean nuclear test in September, caps North Korean coal exports to China, its main customer, from 2017. In the view of UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, these are the strictest and most complete sanctions ever imposed by the Security Council, and they send an unequivocal message.
By adopting this resolution, "the international community has once again demonstrated its steadfast commitment to upholding the global non-proliferation regime in the face of continued, direct violations by the DPRK", the spokesperson for the European External Action Service states in a press release. "The DPRK's actions over the course of this year, including two nuclear tests, serve no purpose other than to increase tensions in the region and to threaten international peace and security. The unanimous adoption of the resolution [by the UN Security Council's 15 members] is a clear reflection that such actions will not be tolerated", the spokesperson adds, calling on the DPRK to abide by all its international obligations. and to re-engage with the international community "in a credible and meaningful way". In 2016, Pyongyang carried out two nuclear tests and at least 25 ballistic missile launches.
The EEAS spokesperson stated that, as has been the case with past resolutions, the new Resolution 2321 will now be transposed "without delay" into European Union law. "The European Union will also consider whether further additional autonomous restrictive measures are called for", the spokesperson added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)