UN Security Council to adopt new sanctions on N.Korea

The United Nations Security Council is set to adopt a new resolution to punish North Korea for conducting its third nuclear test last month. The resolution urges U.N. member nations to inspect North Korean ships and planes alleged to carry "suspected" items and turn back those refusing the inspections to their ports of origin. Another course of action under the resolution is to ban the North from opening any overseas bank branch. The so-called catch-all clause advising U.N. member nations not to trade with the North equipment that could be converted weapons would also become mandatory. Countries that fail to abide by the rules will face punishment.

The Security Council is set to hold a meeting Thursday in New York to adopt Resolution 2904. A U.N. official said the resolution will likely be passed unanimously as all 15 council members states agreed to the draft. Voice of Russia, a state-run radio channel operated by Moscow, on Thursday said that once the resolution is adopted, the North will be subject to the strongest sanctions imposed by the council.

The resolution has 37 clauses, nearly double the number of those included in the world body’s January resolution. The council “decides that all states shall inspect all cargo within or transiting through their territory that has originated in the (Democratic People`s Republic of Korea), or that is destined for (the North)," the draft said. The January resolution urged member nations to deny entry to North Korean vessels refusing inspections.

The proposed resolution will also expand the scope of sanctions on North Korean organizations and individuals as well as their agents to freeze their assets and ban them from traveling to other countries. The council also requires members states to “take appropriate measures to prohibit financial institutions within their territories or under their jurisdiction from opening representative offices or subsidiaries or banking accounts in (North Korea) if they have information that provides reasonable grounds to believe that such financial services could contribute to the (North`s) nuclear or ballistic missile programs.”

Analysts say this is the first time for the Security Council to urge member states to monitor North Korean diplomats for illegal activities. A U.N. Secretariat official said the resolution is focused on weakening Pyongyang’s ability to develop missiles and nuclear weapons and includes punitive measures against violations of mandatory requirements.

The secondary boycott on sanctioning any company doing business with North Korea and Article 42 of Chapter 7 of the U.N. Charter, which allows military action by the world body, was not included in the resolution. Just Article 41 of the chapter on non-military sanctions was included.

The proposed resolution also added three North Korean weapons dealers and two entities on the punishment list over the North`s third nuclear test last month. The three dealers are Yon Jong Nam, head of Korea Mining Developing Trading Corp.; Ko Chol Jae, deputy chief of the latter; and Mun Chong Chol, an official at Tanchon Central Bank. The two North Korean entities are the Second Academy of Natural Sciences, which is responsible for research and development of the North`s advanced weapons systems, and the (North) Korea Complex Equipment Import Corp., which supports the sales of components of military equipment.

witness@donga.com