Ambassador Hwang Jun-kook, Korea's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, pointed out that North Korea accelerated illegal activities for nuclear and missile development over the past year since the disbandment of the UN expert panel monitoring violations of North Korean sanctions, and urged for faithful implementation of the sanctions.
On the 7th, Ambassador Hwang noted during a non-proliferation agenda meeting on North Korea held at the UN headquarters in New York that "in the absence of an expert panel, North Korea accelerated illegal activities for its nuclear and missile programs, including ▲coal and iron ore exports ▲arms transfer ▲$1.5 billion worth of cryptocurrency theft ▲dispatch of overseas workers ▲dispatch of overseas military, among others."
The meeting was convened at the request of seven Security Council member states, including South Korea and the United States, to assess the situation one year after the UN Security Council (UNSC) expert panel on North Korean sanctions completed its term on April 30 last year.
Previously, Russia, a permanent member of the Security Council, exercised its veto against the extension of the expert panel's term, preventing its continuation.
Ambassador Hwang emphasized that "while the Russian side argues for the ineffectiveness and necessity of revising the North Korean sanctions, sanctions only take effect when faithfully implemented" and added that "if considering a revision of North Korean sanctions, the goal should be to strengthen sanctions in accordance with the provisions of Security Council Resolution 2397 in a situation where violations of Security Council resolutions by North Korea persist."
The Security Council resolution 2397, adopted in 2017, confirms that sanctions may be strengthened as necessary in light of compliance with North Korean sanctions.
James Byrne, Chief Executive Officer of the British security research organization Open Source Center (OSC), pointed out during a briefing at the meeting that North Korea has openly violated Security Council sanctions and exported coal and iron ore based on investigations tracking ship movements through satellite imagery.
Eighty-one parties participating in the preparatory committee for the 11th review conference of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) also issued a statement on the same day expressing regret that the Security Council failed to agree on the extension of the term of the expert panel on North Korean sanctions last year, stating, "We urge all UN member states to uphold their non-proliferation commitments and fully implement all Security Council sanctions."