South Korea asks North Korea to stop challenging world peace

Seoul supports the ninth United Nations sanctions against Pyongyang, calling on the country to stop challenging world peace.

South Korean Presidential Office spokesman Park Soo-hyun. Photo: Yonhap.

"North Korea needs to realize that its reckless actions that challenge world peace will only bring stronger sanctions from the international community," South Korean presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun said. Seoul asserted that the only solution for Pyongyang to escape its isolation and economic hardship is to completely end its nuclear program, Reuters reported on September 12.

With support from Russia and China, the United Nations Security Council yesterday voted to approve a US-drafted resolution to sanction North Korea by a vote of 15 in favor and 0 against.

The new sanctions ban North Korea’s textile exports, limit imports of petroleum products, liquefied natural gas and condensate, limit the hiring of North Korean laborers abroad, and require countries hiring North Korean laborers to notify them of the expiration date of their existing contracts. The new resolution also allows countries to inspect ships suspected of carrying banned North Korean cargo, but must first obtain the consent of the ship’s owner.

Sanctions target North Korea's hydrogen bomb test. Click image for full view.

The new sanctions demonstrate the growing resolve of the international community to take action against North Korea. The resolution was passed just eight days after North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test on September 3. Previous sanctions, dating back to 2006, typically took months to pass.

The last time the Security Council passed a resolution to sanction North Korea was on August 5, after Pyongyang test-fired two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July./.

According to VNE