On Tuesday 10 October, the EU Council transposed the sectoral sanctions imposed by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2375 (2017) on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) that were adopted on 11 September in response to the country's nuclear and ballistic missile tests. The legal acts will be published in the Official Journal of the EU on Wednesday 11 October.
The measures transposed cover a ban on selling natural gas liquids to North Korea and a ban on importing its textiles. The new measures also include restrictions to the sale of refined petroleum products and crude oil to Pyongyang. The UN resolution bans the supply, sale and direct or indirect transfer of all refined petroleum products over 500,000 barrels for an initial period of three months (from 1 October to 31 December 2017) and over 2 million barrels per year for a period of 12 months as of 1 January 2018 and every year thereafter.
In addition, the EU member states no longer have the right to supply new work permits to North Korean nationals authorising them to enter and work on EU territory, "as they are suspected of generating revenue which is used to support the country's illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes", the Council says in its press release. However, the legal acts also transpose the exemptions provided by the UN Security Council for humanitarian and livelihood purposes.
Back on 15 September, the Council transposed the additional lists imposed by the UN Security Council resolution, adding three entities and one person to the lists of people and entities subject to an assets freeze and travel restrictions (see EUROPE 11863). In total, 63 people and 53 entities are subject to UN sanctions and, in addition, 38 people and 4 entities have been designated autonomously by the EU.
The Council could also adopt new autonomous sanctions against North Korea on 16 October. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)