On Thursday, January 20th, the U.N. Security Council held a private meeting to discuss the topic of North Korea and its recent missile launch tests. Since the beginning of 2022, North Korea has launched four test missiles: two capable of hypersonic-high speed ballistics and two short-range missiles capable of firing from a train car.
Numerous countries, including the United States, have placed sanctions on multiple North Koreans and Russians found to be involved in the procurement of goods for the country’s weapons programs. However, during the most recent U.N. Security Council meeting, the United States proposed a U.N. travel ban and asset freeze on five of the accused North Koreans. The bid needed a total consensus agreement by the fifteen countries within the council, but both China and Russia placed a hold on the proposal until further research into the cases. China announced they needed extended time to consider the sanctions and their details. Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian made the following statement: “Facts have proven time and again that blindly resorting to sanction and pressure would only escalate the tension further rather than settle the Peninsula issue. This meets no party’s interests.” Russian officials agreed with the Chinese leaders and announced they would need greater evidence to accept the proposed sanctions.
As missile research has continued in North Korea, the U.N. Security Council has enacted progressively more restrictive sanctions against North Korea since 2006. These sanctions include banning the trade of arms and military equipment, dual-use technologies, vehicles, industrial machinery, and metals, banning the import of certain luxury goods and natural gases, banning the export of electrical equipment, coal, minerals, various foods, and agricultural products, wood, textiles, and stones, freezing the assets of those involved in the country’s nuclear program, capping North Korean labor exports, importing of oil and refined petroleum products, and restricting fishing rights as well as scientific and technological cooperation with other countries.
The enforcement of these sanctions has been weak, with many countries and corporations still finding ways to trade with the North Korean government. Nevertheless, due to North Korean missile programs growing and strengthening in recent years, the heightened enforcement of the economically restrictive sanctions has hurt the North Korean people rather than the governing elite. The sanctions imposed by the U.N. and other individual countries have damaged the economy and resource supply of North Korea, leaving potentially millions of citizens malnourished and impoverished. These sanctions have not proven to curb Kim Jong-un’s efforts to advance the country’s missile and nuclear arsenal and may have even emboldened him.
Although ulterior motives may have affected China and Russia’s halt on the newest sanctions, the success of the previous U.N. sanctions must be assessed before taking further action. Aspects of China’s statement are valid: the negative effects of global sanctions on civilians within North Korea have not affected the leadership’s decision to support missile research. Adopting sanctions against specific individuals involved in the arms programs could provide a possible solution to this issue, only directly influencing those who are responsible for the progression of missile testing. However, there needs to be a proper case review by the U.N. to ensure no wrongful sanctions are imposed. Any efforts to disrupt the growth of arms should not damage the country’s general population who are currently living under a manipulative and prejudicial regime.
