dailies-editorials (2)

(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on May 31)

Aborted UN sanctions

China, Russia hit for siding with North Korea

The United Nations failed to adopt a resolution for additional sanctions on North Korea, due to vetoes from China and Russia, both permanent members of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC). The resolution had the support of 13 other UNSC member countries in a vote on Thursday. The United States has been initiating the sanction since Pyongyang conducted 17 launches of ballistic missiles this year including six intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield revealed disappointment, describing the North's provocation as "a grave threat to international peace and security." The resolution, if passed, might have decreased North Korea's legal annual import of oil by 25 percent, banned exports of some mineral resources and frozen assets of organizations and companies pertinent to exporting military technologies to the North.

The opposition from China and Russia was widely anticipated. China has been fiercely resisting the U.S. moves to contain it by uniting allies in an "encirclement strategy." China opposed even the adoption of a press statement, the puniest type of UNSC response, in March. Russia has also been challenging the U.S. over its invasion of Ukraine.

Yet, the opposition from the two countries is not reasonable at all, in that they had been supporting, albeit passively, the U.N. resolution for sanctions against the North's tests of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. China had been calling on North Korea to respect Security Council resolutions and refrain from acts that will worsen the security situation.

Foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan issued a joint statement on Friday, condemning the North's firing of ballistic missiles and urging it to return to the dialogue table. It is rare for them to express a united stance on an issue in the form of a statement. This indicates that the three countries are seeking to step up security cooperation following U.S. President Joe Biden's recent visits to Seoul and Tokyo.

The United States on Friday slapped its own fresh sanctions on two banks, one trading firm and one individual for their support of the North's weapons development programs. "The United States will continue to implement and enforce existing sanctions while urging the DPRK to return to a diplomatic path," said Brian Nelson, undersecretary of treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, referring to the North by an abbreviation of its official name.

As he put it, the U.S. should continue efforts to induce the North to the dialogue table despite the current escalating tension. To facilitate such efforts, North Korea should also stop its bids to build up nuclear capabilities including a seemingly imminent nuclear test.

As additional U.N. sanctions against the North fell through, the allies should double down on mapping out a new strategy to effectively prevent the North from making further military provocations, while persuading it to return to the dialogue table.

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