On Monday 16 October, the Foreign Affairs Council adopted new European Union autonomous sanctions against North Korea "given the persistent threat to international peace and stability posed" by the country. These measures, for which the legal acts were also published on 16 October, reinforce the United Nations Security Council sanctions.
The EU foreign ministers thus decided on a total ban on EU investment in North Korea, in all sectors. The ban was previously limited to investment in the nuclear and conventional arms-related industry, in the sectors of mining, refining and chemical industries, metallurgy and metalworking and aerospace.
The new sanctions also ban the sale of refined petroleum products and crude oil to North Korea. These exports were subject to certain limitations under the UN Security Council resolution of 11 September.
The new sanctions moreover include lowering the amount of personal remittances transferred to North Korea, "as they are suspected of being used to support the country's illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes", a Council press release states. And the Council goes further, deciding not to renew work authorisations for North Korean nationals on EU territory (except for refugees and other persons benefiting from international protection), "with a view to eliminating remittances to North Korea".
In addition, the Council also added three persons and six entities supporting the illicit programmes to the lists of those subject to an asset freeze and a visa ban. The three persons are Jong Sik Kim, Vice Director in the Munitions Industry Department at the Military Industry Ministry, Pyong Chol Ri, First Vice Director in the Munitions Industry Department, and Hyok Chan Kim, a representative of Green Pine, a UN listed entity. The six entities now subject to EU sanctions are the Ministry of People's Armed Forces, the Korean People's Army, the Maritime Administrative Bureau, the Korea Rungrado General Trading Corporation, the Korea International Exhibition Corporation, and Pan Systems Pyongyang, which assisted in the evasion or violation of sanctions. This brings the total number under restrictive measures against North Korea as designated by the EU autonomously to 41 individuals and 10 entities.
Mogherini acknowledged that the European sanctions had little weight because trade relations between the EU and North Korea are very weak. "We understand that the impact of the European sanctions is limited, but there are other countries which have relations with North Korea that can have a major impact on the regime", she said, adding that the EU would work with the third countries on implementing the UN sanctions. In its press release, the Council states that the ministers also agreed to put active pressure for strong implementation of all the relevant UN Security Council resolutions by all UN members. When asked by EUROPE, Moghierni said that the EU had drawn up a list of 25 third countries towards which the EU and its member states will take coordinated action, also in conjunction with partner countries, from the end of this week. "It is quite a big diplomatic pressure and we hope it will lead to results in some of the countries involved", she said. According to a European source, these countries include Cambodia, Eritrea, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Fiji and Vietnam. "China and Russia are not on the list because we have continuing dialogue with them", the source said. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn meanwhile stated that 93% of imports in North Korea come from China, and he added that Beijing had means to put pressure on the North Korean regime. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)