The United Nations Security Council has voted to impose tougher sanctions on North Korea in response to its recent ballistic missile tests. The US-drafted resolution includes measures to reduce the nation’s petrol imports by up to 90%. China, North Korea’s main trading partner, voted in favour of the resolution. The country is already subject to a raft of sanctions from the US, the UN and the EU. Washington has been imposing sanctions on Pyongyang since 2008, freezing the assets of individuals and companies linked to its nuclear programme and banning the exports of goods and services to the country. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said the sanctions sent an “unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishments and isolation”. Tensions have risen this year over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programmes, which it has pursued despite pressure from world powers to stop. The Trump administration says it is seeking a diplomatic solution to the issue, and drafted this new set of sanctions:
- Deliveries of petrol products will be capped at 500,000 barrels a year, and crude oil at 4 million barrels a year
- All North Korean nationals working abroad will have to return home within 12 months under the proposals, restricting a vital source of foreign currency
- There will also be a ban on exports of North Korean goods, such as machinery and electrical equipment