UN Imposes New Sanctions on North Korea

The United Nations Security Council has unanimously passed a new resolution imposing new sanctions on North Korea.

As CRI's Washington correspondent Lv Xiaohong reports, while China has thrown its support behind the new sanctions, it's also calling for a diplomatic solution.



The UN Security Council has adopted the new sanctions on North Korea for its prohibited nuclear test last month.

The United States UN Ambassador Susan Rice says the new sanctions are going to have a strong impact.

"First, resolution 2094 imposes tough, new financial sanctions, when North Korea tries to move money, to pay its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, countries must now block those transfers, even if the money is being carried in suitcases full of bulk cash. "

In addition to tightening sanctions on North Korea's banking and trade sectors, the existing travel restrictions have also been extended.

Stringent checks are also going to continue on North Korean cargo ships.

And for the first time, Pyongyang's diplomats are also included on the checklist, with the resolution calling for countries to expel any North Korean agent if he or she is found involved in Pyongyang's nuclear or ballistic missile programs.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says he welcomes the adoption of the new sanctions, saying the international community has sent "an unequivocal message" to North Korea that it will not tolerate its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

The Chinese side is also voicing its support of the new UN resolution.

Chinese Ambassador to the UN, Li Baodong, says China supports a balanced and proportionate approach towards this issue.

"China is a country of principle. We're firmly committed to safeguarding peace, stability on the Korean Peninsula. We're committed firmly to safeguarding the international nuclear no-proliferation regime, promoting the denuclearization of Korean Peninsula. And also we're committed to peaceful settlement of relevant issues through negotiations and dialogue."

Just hours before the Security Council's vote on the new sanctions, North Korea re-issued its threat to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States.
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Chinese Ambassador Li Baodong is calling on everyone to cool down and look for a diplomatic solution.

"The top priority now is to defuse the tension, bring down the heat, focus on diplomatic track and bring the situation back on the track of diplomacy, of negotiations and consultations."

Li Baodong admits a nuclear-free Korean peninsula is going to be hard to achieve, but says it can be possible if the six-party talks can resume.

Pyongyang has said it no longer wants any part of the six-party talks.

For CRI, this is Xiaohong in Washington.

CRI