《TAIPEI TIMES》 New sanctions on North Korea seek to choke oil supply

/ AFP, UNITED NATIONS

With China’s backing, the UN Security Council on Friday slapped new sanctions on North Korea that would restrict oil supplies vital for Pyongyang’s missile and nuclear programs.

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The council unanimously adopted a US-drafted resolution that also orders the repatriation of North Korean workers sent abroad to earn revenue for North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s regime.

It is the third raft of sanctions imposed on Pyongyang this year and comes as the US and North Korea show no signs they are willing to open talks on ending the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

US President Donald Trump on Friday hailed the move, saying the international community was pushing for peace with the isolated regime.

“The United Nations Security Council just voted 15-0 in favor of additional Sanctions on North Korea. The World wants Peace, not Death!” Trump tweeted.

The resolution bans the supply of nearly 75 percent of refined oil products to North Korea, puts a cap on crude deliveries and orders all North Korean nationals working abroad to be sent back by the end of 2019.

The US put forward the draft text on Thursday following negotiations with China, Pyongyang’s ally and main supplier of oil.

Describing North Korea as “the most tragic example of evil in the modern world,” US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said the new sanctions are “a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regime’s actions.”

The resolution “sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishment and isolation,” she said.

The measures are in response to North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile on Nov. 28 that marked an advance in Pyongyang’s drive to threaten the US mainland with a nuclear strike.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES