UN Security Council fails to impose additional sanctions on North Korea... China-Russia veto

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The UN Security Council rejected a resolution on additional sanctions against North Korea amid a series of missile provocations from North Korea.

China and Russia vetoed.

Correspondent Kim Young-ah.

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The key to the new resolution that the United Nations Security Council voted for in the early morning of the 27th is to reduce the upper limit on North Korea's oil imports.

In the vote, 13 out of 15 member countries supported and only 2 opposed, far exceeding the approval standard of 9 votes.

However, it did not pass in the end because the two countries that voted against it were China and Russia, which are permanent members.

Security Council resolutions will be rejected if any one of the five permanent members opposes them.

The resolution was promoted by the United States in response to North Korea's multiple test-fires of ballistic missiles, including intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) this year.

The United States prepared a draft resolution in March and has been discussing it with members of the Security Council, and on the 25th, at the end of President Joe Biden's visit to Korea and Japan, when North Korea fired three ballistic missiles, including an ICBM, the resolution was immediately voted on.

The resolution, which failed to be adopted, aims to lower the upper limit on North Korea's crude oil imports from 4 million barrels to 3 million barrels and the upper limit on refined oil imports from 500,000 barrels to 375,000 barrels, respectively.

Initially, the United States pushed for a plan to cut the upper limit on North Korea's crude and refined oil imports in half, but it is known that the provisions were relaxed to increase approval.

In addition, Lazarus, a hacking group known to be linked with North Korea's General Bureau of Reconnaissance and bans North Korea's export of fuel, watch products, and parts, including mineral fuel, Haegeumgang Trading Company, which supports North Korea's military technology exports, and the Ministry of Military Industry, which leads the development of ballistic missiles It also included adding Vietnam's representative Kim Su-il to the list of assets frozen.