Foreign minister says sanctions against N. Korea are getting results

Posted on : 2014-03-13 15:24 KST Modified on : 2014-03-13 15:24 KST
Speaking at defense conference organized by the Hague, Yun Byung-se says the flow of money into N. Korea is being limited by sanctions

By Park Byong-su, senior staff writer

In regard to North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and missiles, South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se said on Mar. 12 that the tough sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council are getting some results.

Yun delivered the keynote address at a special academic conference in Seoul on the occasion of the nuclear security summit, which was organized by the Korea National Diplomatic Academy and the Korean Nuclear Policy Association.

“The international community is showing that it is committed to taking firm action in response to North Korea’s provocative behavior,” Yun said in his address. “This has been demonstrated by various domestic measures taken by China and Russia to implement the sanctions passed by the Security Council.”

“Just as was discussed in the report released yesterday by the panel of experts on the North Korea sanctions committee, the recent incident of the Chong Chon Gang [a North Korean cargo ship seized in Panama] is clear evidence that the network of sanctions against North Korea is working effectively,” said Yun. “We can infer from the recent series of events that we are putting a considerable dent in the flow of money into North Korea.”

“Any country that produces and stores more nuclear materials than is necessary will be suspected of ulterior motivations and will be vulnerable to the risk of these materials being stolen. This will put its own security in jeopardy, as well as the security of other countries,” Yun continued. The comment was an oblique reference to Japan, which holds more than 44 tons of plutonium.

“The issue of surplus nuclear material ought to be swiftly addressed so as to alleviate the concerns of neighboring countries through cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other related countries,” he added.

In regard to the negotiations to revise the nuclear power agreement between the US and South Korea, Yun said, “There are quite a few differences of opinion that we have resolved, but there are still areas where more work is needed. We will have to speed things up this year.”

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