UN resolutions concerning North Korea

A series of United Nations resolutions (유엔 결의안/國際聯合決議案) have been adopted by the Security Council (안전보장이사회/安全保障理事會) in 2006, 2009 and 2013 concerning the alleged nuclear test of North Korea.

On the issue of human rights in North Korea, the United Nations Third Committee used to pass a resolution urging North Korea to improve its human rights situation each year.

Key words
UN resolution, Security Council, North Korea, nuclear test, economic sanction

UN Resolution 1718
UN Security Council Resolution 1718 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on October 14, 2006.

The resolution, passed under Chapter VII Article 41 of the United Nations Charter, imposes a series of economic and commercial sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the aftermath of that nation's claimed nuclear test of October 9, 2006.

Provisions
The resolution's provisions include:
 * North Korea must "not conduct any further nuclear test or launch of a ballistic missile", "suspend all activities related to its ballistic missile programme" and "abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner".
 * The DPRK must also "return immediately to the Six-Party Talks without precondition".
 * Shipments of cargo going to and from North Korea may be stopped and inspected for weapons of mass destruction or associated items (however, there is no obligation placed on member states to perform such inspections).
 * A ban is placed on imports and exports of "battle tanks, armoured combat vehicles, large calibre artillery systems, combat aircraft, attack helicopters, warships, missiles or missile systems", "related materiel including spare parts" and any other items identified by the sanctions committee.
 * UN member states must freeze the overseas assets of individuals and companies involved with the DPRK's weapons programmes. An international travel ban is also placed on programme employees and their families.
 * UN members are banned from exporting luxury goods to North Korea.

Sanctions Committee
All the UN member states are required to report to the Council on the measures they adopt in compliance with the resolution within the next 30 days. The resolution also orders the establishment of a sanctions committee, made up of the UNSC's fifteen current members, to oversee its enforcement and report back to the Council at least every 90 days.

UN Resolution 1874
UN Security Council Resolution 1874 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on June 12, 2009.

The resolution, passed under Chapter VII Article 41 of the UN Charter, imposes further economic and commercial sanctions on the DPRK and encourages UN member states to search North Korean cargo, in the aftermath of an underground nuclear test conducted on May 25, 2009.

Provisions
The resolution's provisions include:
 * Authorizing member states to inspect, "in accordance with their national authorities and legislation, and consistent with international law," North Korean cargo on land, sea, and air, and to destroy any goods suspected of being connected to the DPRK's nuclear programme.
 * Requiring the North Korean government to return immediately to the six-party talks and renounce its announcement of withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
 * Preventing financial services that could contribute to the nuclear or ballistic missile related programmes.
 * Instructing member states not to provide financial assistance to the DPRK nuclear programme, or enter into loans with the country, except for humanitarian or developmental reasons.
 * Extending the arms embargo on North Korea by banning all weapons exports from the country and most imports, with an exception to small arms, light weapons and related material – though member states must notify the Security Council five days prior to selling the weapons.
 * Demanding that North Korea halt its nuclear weapons program and conduct no further nuclear or missile tests.
 * Asking member states to notify the Council of steps they are taking to implement the sanctions within 45 days.
 * Affirming the Security Council's commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to the situation.

UN Resolution 2087
UN Security Council Resolution 2087 was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on January 22, 2013.

The resolution, passed under Chapter VII Article 41 of the UN Charter, condemning the DPRK's launch of a rocket which used ballistic missile technology, imposes further additional economic and commercial sanctions on the DPRK in the aftermath of the suspicious long-rage rocket launch conducted on December 12, 2012 in violation of previous UN Security Council resolutions.

Provisions
The resolution's provisions include:
 * Recalling the measures imposed by Resolutions 1718 and 1874 and applying such measures to six more entities and four more individuals, as well as to nuclear and missile-related items.
 * Calling upon member states to exercise enhanced vigilance including monitoring the activities of their nationals, persons in their territories, financial institutions, and other entities organized under their laws with or on behalf of financial institutions in the DPRK, or of those that act on behalf or at the direction of DPRK financial institutions.
 * Issuing an Implementation Assistance Notice regarding situations where a vessel has refused to allow an inspection.
 * Directing the Sanctions Committee to review reported violations and take action as appropriate, including through designating entities and individuals that have assisted the evasion of sanctions or in violating the provisions of resolutions.
 * Expressing its determination to take "significant action" in the event of a further DPRK launch or nuclear test.

UN Resolution 2094
[UN Security Council Resolution 2094] was adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on March 7, 2013.

The new resolution significantly tightens existing sanctions intended to restrict the North's development of its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) programme, while introducing a more extensive set of new measures focusing on freezing the North's financial transactions, prohibiting the opening of bank branches, limiting bulk cash transfers (a common way for the North to gain access to finance), and restricting trade connected to any of the North's illicit activities.

The resolution also targets individuals and institutions explicitly connected with the North's WMD program, strengthens interdiction measures to limit the transfer of WMD technology by land, sea and air, and also prohibits the transfer of luxury commodities - such as jewellery, yachts and cars - to the North.

Provisions
The resolution's provisions include:
 * Strongly condemns North Korea's ongoing nuclear activities, including its uranium enrichment programme
 * Imposes new sanctions to block financial transactions and bulk cash transfers in support of illicit activity
 * Strengthens states' authority to inspect suspicious cargo
 * Requires states to deny port access to any North Korean vessel that refuses to be inspected
 * Calls on states to deny permission to any aircraft to take off, land in or overfly their territory if the aircraft is suspected of transporting prohibited items
 * Enables stronger enforcement of existing sanctions by UN member states
 * Sanctions new individuals and entities.

North Korean reaction
The Pyongyang regime consistently defied UN Security Council resolutions with incremental violations such as a stepped-up long-range rocket launch and nuclear test.

The North Korean news agency said on January 25, 2013 that the unanimously approved UN Resolution 2087 amounted to a "declaration of war" against the DPRK, and intimidated a strong physical response to South Korea if it joins the sanctions under the UN resolution. North Korea argued, "What puts the peace and security of North Korea at risk is the United States-led evil group and the U.S. nuclear weapon supporting them". The North Korean press did not hide Pyongyang's intention to proceed to the third nuclear test and a longer-range rocket launch with all the best efforts.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Unification of Korea disclosed its countermeasures under UN Resolution 2087 that any item related with the production at the Gaeseong Industrial Complex would be subject to intensive checks in line with the UN resolutions prior to being transported to Gaeseong.

The Unification Ministry expected North Korea to go the table for negotiation with the United States for the execution of the nuclear reduction and peace treaty at an enhanced position as a nuclear power after it succeeds in the third nuclear test based upon a long-range missile launch.

Though the latest Resolution 2094 has important declaratory weight in signalling the international community's clear opposition to the North's recent provocations, Pyongyang threatened a pre-emptive nuclear strike to turn the United States and South Korea into a "sea of flames". So it is unclear how effective the new measures will be in impeding or reversing the North's nuclear programme.

Targeting luxury commodities may impose temporary pain on the North's leaders, but it is questionable whether the list of commodities is sufficiently extensive to make a difference.

Tightening controls on the flow of cash to the North may make it more difficult for the regime to protect its assets, but the North's leadership has become more agile in eluding financial restrictions since 2005 when the US treasury successfully closed down access to some of the bank accounts of senior North Korean officials.

Most importantly, the interdiction provisions involve conditional language that could function as a loophole for non-compliance, mandating states to inspect cargo, but only if they have "reasonable grounds" to believe that cargo contains prohibited items.