The Security Council officially divided on the file of North Korea

The United Nations Security Council on May 19, 2022 in New York at UN Headquarters.

© John Minchillo/AP

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

China and Russia prevented, Thursday, May 26, the Security Council from imposing more sanctions on North Korea at the UN, while the latter has multiplied ballistic missile tests since the beginning of the year. .

A double

veto

therefore for an American draft resolution, supported by thirteen members, and which proposed to target a group of

hackers

linked to the North Korean regime, to ban oil and tobacco exports to Pyongyang.

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With our correspondent in New York,

Carrie Nooten

Ostensibly, this is the first time the Security Council has publicly split since it began imposing sanctions on Pyongyang in 2006. The United States, which chairs the Council and was known to be eager to target North Korea, put this proposal for new sanctions to the vote while the day before, Pyongyang fired three ballistic missiles.

A Council blocked since 2018

China and Russia did not follow it and finally formalized

the divisions underlying

the Council on the North Korean dossier.

Because this file has been frozen for much longer.

In 2017, Donald Trump convinced the two countries to impose restrictions on their protege, but after the fiasco of trips to Singapore and Vietnam that had led to nothing, Beijing resented Washington for forcing his hand. , and now refused to hear about sanctions - an unproductive escalation she said.

The Council had therefore been blocked for three years.

While this veto may give the Korean leader the impression that he is free to proliferate his nuclear program with impunity, the Biden administration refused to keep the council silent any longer.

►Also read: Just after Biden leaves Seoul, Pyongyang resumes missile fire

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  • North Korea

  • UN