US to Introduce New UN Resolution to Strengthen Sanctions on N Korea

The US is planning to introduce a new UN Security Council resolution that will update and strengthen sanctions against North Korea in the wake of Pyongyang test-firing a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

The ICBM launch ended North Korea's moratorium on long-range missile tests that had been in place since November 2017, Yonhap news agency reported.

It was the latest show of force following 11 previous rounds of missile tests this year, including the firing of a new hypersonic missile and an intermediate-range ballistic missile. 

Thomas-Greenfield told the Council meeting, “The Security Council must not speak publicly and with one voice to condemn the DPRK’s unlawful actions and encourage the DPRK to return to the negotiating table.”

The UNSC's rare public meeting on North Korea, the first of its kind since 2017, was held at the request of the United States and five other members of the 15-member council, which includes the United Kingdom and France.

The United States had previously sought to impose additional UNSC sanctions on North Korea following repeated missile provocations by Pyongyang this year, but efforts to date have failed due to the opposition from Russia and China, both veto power-wielding permanent members of the Security Council and close allies of North Korea.