Sanctions against North Korea

Sanctions against North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, have been imposed by various countries and international bodies. The current sanctions are largely concerned with North Korea's nuclear weapons program and were imposed after its first nuclear test in 2006.

United Nations

A North Korea cargo ship at the dock in Nampo

The UN Security Council has passed a number of resolutions since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006.

Resolution 1718 in 2006 demanded that North Korea cease nuclear testing and prohibited the export to North Korea of some military supplies and luxury goods.^[1]

Resolution 1874, passed after the second nuclear test in 2009, broadened the arms embargo. Member states were encouraged to inspect ships and destroy any cargo suspected being related to the nuclear weapons program.

Resolution 2087, passed in January 2013 after a satellite launch, strengthened previous sanctions by clarifying a state’s right to seize and destroy cargo suspected of heading to or from North Korea for purposes of military research and development.

Resolution 2094 was passed in March 2013 after the third nuclear test. It imposed sanctions on money transfers and aimed to shut North Korea out of the international financial system.

Resolution 2270, passed in March 2016 after the fourth nuclear test, further strengthened sanctions.^[2] It banned the export of gold, vanadium, titanium, and rare earth metals. The export of coal and iron were also banned, with an exemption for transactions that were purely for "livelihood purposes".^[3]

Resolution 2321, passed in November 2016, capped North Korea's coal exports and banned exports of copper, nickel, zinc, and silver.^[4]

United States

President Obama enacted the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, which passed the House of Representatives and the Senate with nearly unanimous support.

This law:

• requires the President to sanction entities found to have contributed to North Korea’s weapons of mass destruction program, arms trade, human rights abuses or other illegal activities.
• imposes mandatory sanctions for entities involved in North Korea's mineral or metal trades, which comprise a large part of North Korea's foreign exports.
• requires the US Treasury Department to determine whether North Korea should be listed as a "primary money laundering concern," which would trigger tough new financial restrictions.
• imposes new sanctions authorities related to North Korean human rights abuses and violations of cybersecurity.^[5]

This followed the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2013 which the Senate failed to pass.

South Korea

South Korea imposed sanctions against North Korea following the 2010 sinking of the South Korean naval ship, the Cheonan. These sanctions, known as the May 24 measures, included:

• banning North Korean ships from South Korean territorial waters.
• suspending inter-Korean trade except at the Kaesong Industrial Zone.
• banning most cultural exchanges.

President Park Geun-hye ordered the Kaesong complex shut in 2016 in retaliation for the nuclear test in January and the rocket launch in February.^[6]

Japan

In 2016, Japan's sanctions against North Korea included:

• banning remittances, except those made for humanitarian purposes and less than 100,000 yen in value.
• freezing assets of suspect individuals and organisations in Japan.
• prohibiting North Korean citizens from entering Japan.
• renewing the ban on North Korean ships entering Japanese ports and extending it to include other ships that have visited North Korea.
• banning nuclear and missile technicians who have been to North Korea from entering Japan.^[7]

European Union

The European Union has imposed a series of sanctions against North Korea since 2006. These include:

• an embargo on arms and related materiel.
• banning the export of aviation and rocket fuel to North Korea.
• banning the trade in gold, precious metals and diamonds with the North Korean government.
• banning the import of minerals from North Korea, with some exemptions for coal and iron ore.
• banning exports of luxury goods.
• restrictions on financial support for trade with North Korea.
• restrictions on investment and financial activities.
• inspections and monitoring of cargoes imported to and exported from North Korea.
• prohibiting certain North Korean individuals from entering the EU.^[8]

Assessment

The academic John Delury has described the sanctions as futile and counterproductive. He has argued that they are unenforceable and unlikely to stop North Korea's nuclear weapons program.^[9]

References