With China's backing, the UN Security Council on Friday slapped new sanctions on North Korea that will restrict oil supplies vital for Pyongyang's missile and nuclear programs.
UN slaps new sanctions on North Korea
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 23, ARTSAKHPRESS:The council unanimously adopted a US-drafted resolution that also orders the repatriation of North Korean workers sent abroad to earn revenue for Kim Jong-Un's regime.
It is the third raft of sanctions imposed on North Korea this year and comes as the United States and North Korea are showing no signs they are willing to open talks on ending the crisis on the Korean peninsula.
The resolution bans the supply of nearly 75 percent of refined oil products to North Korea, puts a cap on crude deliveries and orders all North Korean nationals working abroad to be sent back by the end of 2019.
The United States put forward the draft text on Thursday following negotiations with China, Pyongyang's ally and main supplier of oil.
Describing North Korea as "the most tragic example of evil in the modern world," US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the new sanctions are "a reflection of the international outrage at the Kim regime's actions."
The resolution "sends the unambiguous message to Pyongyang that further defiance will invite further punishment and isolation," she said.
The measures are in response to North Korea's test of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on November 28 that marked an advance in Pyongyang's drive to threaten the US mainland with a nuclear strike.
