South Korea, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine have confirmed that North Korea has dispatched troops to Russia for deployment in Ukraine. On Wednesday, the U.S. stated that this action violates UN Security Council resolutions, prompting speculation about potential additional sanctions from the UN.
Since 2006, the Security Council has enforced sanctions against North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Nations are prohibited from inviting North Korean instructors, advisors, or officials for military, paramilitary, or police training. North Korea is also subject to a weapon export embargo.
For the past 15 years, an independent panel of experts appointed by the UN Secretary-General has monitored compliance with UN sanctions against North Korea, submitting biannual reports to the Security Council. These reports detail individuals, organizations, and countries under investigation or suspected of violating sanctions.
UN sanctions against North Korea are indefinite, with the panel experts’ terms renewed annually by the Council. However, since Russia exercised its veto against the renewal in March and China abstained, experts have been unable to monitor North Korea’s compliance since April 30.
In response, South Korea, the United States, and Japan established a new multinational team in early October to oversee North Korea’s compliance with sanctions. North Korea condemned this initiative as completely illegal and unjustified.
While North Korea and Russia deny sending troops, the Security Council could impose additional sanctions if a violation of UN resolutions is confirmed.
The North Korea Sanctions Committee of the Security Council, composed of 15 member states, is mandated to take appropriate action on information regarding alleged violations of sanctions measures. This committee operates by consensus. To adopt a new sanctions resolution, at least nine countries must vote in favor, and none of the five permanent members (U.S., China, Russia, UK, France) can exercise their veto. If Russia, a party involved, uses its veto, additional sanctions would be impossible.
Reuters reports that the possibility of imposing new UN sanctions on North Korea, which is already under stringent sanctions, is very low. In December 2017, the UN Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea for the last time.
Although, in November 2021, China and Russia proposed a draft resolution to ease sanctions on North Korea to facilitate U.S.-North Korea dialogue, it was not brought to a vote due to an anticipated lack of support.
In May 2022, when North Korea resumed ballistic missile tests, the U.S. introduced a resolution to strengthen UN sanctions, which both China and Russia vetoed. However, the remaining 13 member states voted in favor. This dynamic suggests that further UN action against North Korea may be limited by geopolitical tensions among the Council’s Council’s members.
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