Sanctions against North Korea

Sanctions against North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, have been imposed by various countries and international bodies. The current sanctions are largely concerned with North Korea's nuclear weapons program and were imposed after its first nuclear test in 2006.

The UN Security Council has passed a number of resolutions since North Korea's first nuclear test in 2006.

Resolution 1718 in 2006 demanded that North Korea cease nuclear testing and prohibited the export to North Korea of some military supplies and luxury goods. A Sanctions Committee is established, supported by a Panel of Experts that issue annual reports.

Resolution 1874, passed after the second nuclear test in 2009, broadened the arms embargo. Member states were encouraged to inspect ships and destroy any cargo suspected being related to the nuclear weapons program.

Resolution 2087, passed in January 2013 after a satellite launch, strengthened previous sanctions by clarifying a state’s right to seize and destroy cargo suspected of heading to or from North Korea for purposes of military research and development.

Resolution 2094 was passed in March 2013 after the third nuclear test. It imposed sanctions on money transfers and aimed to shut North Korea out of the international financial system.

Resolution 2270, passed in March 2016 after the fourth nuclear test, further strengthened sanctions. It banned the export of gold, vanadium, titanium, and rare earth metals. The export of coal and iron were also banned, with an exemption for transactions that were purely for "livelihood purposes".

Resolution 2321, passed in November 2016, capped North Korea's coal exports and banned exports of copper, nickel, zinc, and silver. In February 2017, a UN panel said that 116 of 193 member states had yet not submitted a report on their implementation of these sanctions, though China had. Also in February 2017, China announced it would ban all imports of coal for the rest of the year.

President Obama enacted the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, which passed the House of Representatives and the Senate with nearly unanimous support. This law:

This followed the North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2013 which the Senate failed to pass.

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Wikipedia