South Korea considers various measures to pressure Pyongyang

South Korea's Foreign Ministry said on September 12 that it is considering various diplomatic measures to increase international pressure on North Korea to force Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile ambitions.

Speaking at a press conference, ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said: "Many diplomatic measures are being considered to increase international pressure on North Korea in case it continues its provocative actions.

Spokesperson Cho June-hyuck.(Source: Yonhap)

The official also assessed that the latest UN Security Council resolution on North Korea would have a major impact because the sanctions in the resolution would block funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile development programs.

Asked whether Seoul would come up with its own measures, Cho said the important thing now is to ensure that all existing resolutions and sanctions are strictly enforced.

Earlier, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and her Dutch counterpart Bert Koenders discussed countermeasures to North Korea's latest nuclear tests and agreed to respond to additional sanctions, as well as dialogue efforts.

According to the South Korean Foreign Ministry, the two diplomats reached an agreement during a 10-minute phone call on the night of September 11.

Accordingly, Foreign Minister Kang expressed his hope that the Netherlands will actively participate in the international community's efforts towards a peaceful solution to the North Korean issue in the context that this European country intends to run for the Security Council next year as a non-permanent member.

In response, Foreign Minister Koenders reiterated the Dutch Government's strong support for South Korea's policy on North Korea and pledged to step up efforts through sanctions and pressure led by the UN Security Council and the EU.

Previously, 15 members of the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted a new resolution to strengthen sanctions against Pyongyang in response to North Korea's sixth nuclear test on September 3.

In addition to tough sanctions, the new resolution notably calls for diplomatic measures, especially the resumption of the six-party talks. International public opinion then unanimously welcomed the resolution.

Speaking at a cabinet meeting on September 12, South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon welcomed the new UN Security Council resolution on North Korea, stressing that it shows the international community has a unified voice on the North Korean issue, even though the document is not as strong as the initial draft proposed by the US.

In addition, Prime Minister Lee also reiterated that Seoul is not considering the possibility of bringing US nuclear weapons back to the Korean Peninsula, despite the current tense situation in the region.

Mr. Lee stressed that Seoul firmly maintains the principle of denuclearization.

Also supporting the Security Council resolution, the South Korean Unification Ministry expressed hope that the new sanctions will contribute to resolving North Korea's nuclear issue.

Meanwhile, the National Human Rights Council of Korea (NRC) announced on the same day that it has decided to petition the United Nations special rapporteur on the human rights situation in North Korea to investigate the situation of Korean citizens detained in this neighboring country.

The decision was made at the agency's plenary session on September 11, according to an NRC official.

Specifically, a number of options to ensure the safety of detained South Korean citizens, which were submitted by the NRC's special committee on human rights in North Korea, will be discussed.

In addition, the NRC also decided to send to the UN Secretary-General a letter from the NRC Chairman calling for an investigation into North Korea's detention of South Korean citizens./.

According to Vietnamplus