Russian veto halts UN monitoring of North Korea nuclear sanctions

Russia this week vetoed the annual renewal of a panel of experts tasked with monitoring enforcement of U.N. sanctions against North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Thirteen members of the UN Security Council voted in favor of extending the panel’s mandate for another year, with China abstaining.

North Korea has been under sanctions since 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs, and this vote does not affect the sanctions themselves.

The commission, made up of independent experts, has been conducting monitoring for 15 years and reports to the Security Council twice a year. Experts will also provide recommendations on how to better implement the measures.

Russia’s veto came amid allegations that North Korea had transferred weapons to Russia for use in its invasion of Ukraine. Russia and North Korea deny this claim.

South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations Hwang Jung-kook condemned the vote results.

“This is outrageous and makes no sense given the continued and accelerated progress of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs,” he said. Said. “North Korea has openly denounced the authority of the Security Council and is pursuing an increasingly dangerous and aggressive nuclear policy, particularly targeting South Korea.”

The commission’s current mandate expires on April 30th. The commission’s most recent report, released in March, investigated North Korea’s alleged cyberattacks to further strengthen its nuclear weapons program.

Russian Ambassador to the UN Vasily Nebenzia did not support the panel’s independence.

The paper said Nebenzia told the Security Council before Thursday’s vote that “its work is increasingly falling into the hands of a Western approach, reprinting biased information, newspaper headlines and low-quality photos. We are analyzing it.” Reuters.