UN Security Council agrees to blacklist DPRK individuals

The UN Security Council on Friday agreed to add more individuals and entities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) to its sanction list in response to the country's repeated ballistic launches.

In a unanimously adopted resolution, the 15-nation council decided to impose travel bans and asset freezes on 14 individuals and put sanctions on two companies, one bank as well as the Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People's Army.

The Security Council also condemned "in the strongest terms" the nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development activities conducted by the DPRK since September 2016, while urging the DPRK to abandon its nuclear programs and cease all related activities immediately.

The most powerful UN body "reiterates the importance of maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in north-east Asia at large, expresses its commitment to a peaceful, diplomatic, and political solution to the situation," said the resolution.

Liu Jieyi, China's ambassador to the UN, said the adoption of the resolution has sent out a unified message that the international community is against the DPRK's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile development programs.

He noted that there is "a critical window of opportunity" for the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula to come back to the right track of seeking a settlement through dialogue and negotiations.

"China calls on all parties to implement fully and comprehensively relevant Security Council resolutions on the DPRK and push for a peaceful settlement to the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula through strengthening the efforts on non-proliferation and promotion of peace talks," said Liu.

"We hope that all parties concerned will work with China to keep pushing for dialogue and negotiations in order to seek a solution to the problems concerned on the Korean Peninsula within the framework of the Six-Party talks and continue to work actively and constructively towards the goal of early de-nuclearization and lasting peace and security on the Korean Peninsula," he added.

Over the past weeks, the DPRK has test-fired several ballistic missiles including a medium-range rocket launched on Monday which fell into the Sea of Japan.

According to previous Security Council resolutions, the DPRK is banned from conducting any launches that use ballistic missile technology, nuclear tests or any other provocation.

To curb the DPRK's related activities, the council has ratcheted up its sanction measures on the country since 2006, which includes banning the sale and transfer of coal, iron and iron ore from the country's territory.