UK to counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment from North Korea
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In a recent development, the United Kingdom has expressed its determination to thwart Russian efforts to procure military equipment from North Korea. This commitment was articulated by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Barbara Woodward, during a UN Security Council (UNSC) meeting focused on North Korea.
The British ambassador said that the UN Security Council has, since 2006, passed nine resolutions condemning and imposing sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile activities, but Russia has repeatedly violated them.
The UNSC established a North Korea sanctions committee, also known as the 1718 Committee, on October 14, 2006. In order to prevent North Korea from carrying out nuclear tests or initiating ballistic missile launches, the committee
— imposed an arms embargo
— froze assets and implemented a travel ban on individuals associated with North Korea’s nuclear program and
— enforced a prohibition on a variety of imports and exports.
The remaining eight resolutions were adopted by the UNSC (in chronological order) in June 2009, January 2013, March 2013, March 2016, November 2016, August 2017, September 2017 and December 2017, expanding and strengthening the existing bans, introducing new ones and taking further actions. All nine resolutions were unanimously adopted by the UNSC.
The current permanent members of the UNSC (in no particular order) include the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France.
Russia was recognized as the legal successor state at the Security Council following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
On December 24, 1991, Boris Yeltsin, who was serving as the president of the Russian Federation, sent a letter to the UN secretary-general, conveying that the Russian Federation would be maintaining the Soviet Union’s membership in the Security Council and all other United Nations bodies with the backing of the 11 member nations of the Commonwealth of Independent States.
Being permanently represented by Vasily Nebenzya, Russia maintains the Soviet Union’s position on the Security Council.
“There is now a continuous flow of cargo between Russia and the DPRK,” said Ambassador Woodward at the UNSC meeting.
The four letters “DPRK” are the initials of the full name of North Korea — Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
“This includes munitions and ballistic missiles, as reported by UN experts in April and our briefer today,” added the British ambassador. “As well as weapons and the flow of goods between Russia and the DPRK, the DPRK is also procuring refined petroleum from Russia, which is likely to exceed the UNSCR-mandated cap.”
The letter “R” in “UNSCR” means resolutions.
Ambassador Woodward further said that in return for supplying Russia with weapons and Russian help in the Security Council, North Korea “is seeking trade and military assistance, in further circumvention of UN sanctions and increasing the risks to regional security and stability.”
The UK ambassador stated that North Korean missiles are being used in the devastation of Kharkiv, causing suffering, injury and death among Ukrainian civilians.
“North Korean missiles are being used, as we’ve heard today, in the destruction of Kharkiv, bringing misery, injury and death to Ukrainian civilians,” said the ambassador.
“The UK will work with all willing countries to identify, expose, and counter Russian attempts to acquire military equipment from DPRK, and to protect the global non-proliferation regime,” said Ambassador Woodward towards the end of her statement. “It is a violation of the principles of this organisation that Russia so openly and deliberately breaches the UN sanctions regime, in addition to its flagrant violation of the UN Charter in Ukraine.”
She added, “It is an abuse of this organisation and its principles that Russia so openly and deliberately violates the UN sanctions regime, on top of its flagrant breach of the UN Charter in Ukraine. This is all unacceptable. All of us who believe in this Council must call Russia out clearly and must commit to working together to protect the UN, the non-proliferation system, and global peace and security.”
Featured photo is of Ambassador Woodward speaking at the UNSC meeting on North Korea. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
