Pressure on Beijing amid claims of Kim Jong-un's stashed millions
Accounts contained "hundreds of millions of [US] dollars"
Beijing has come under fresh pressure to get tougher with its long-time ally Pyongyang following reports that bank accounts holding slush funds belonging to North Korean leader Kim Jong-un have been found in Shanghai and other Chinese cities.
The accounts contained "hundreds of millions of [US] dollars", South Korea's Chosun Ilbo reported yesterday, citing government sources in Seoul, but said they were excluded for unidentified reasons from financial sanctions under a United Nations Security Council resolution adopted last Thursday.
The latest sanctions were imposed in response to Pyongyang's third nuclear test, conducted last month.
A foreign ministry spokesman said Beijing was unaware of the report, but added China had already expressed its position concerning sanctions on Pyongyang.
"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible member of the international community, China will handle the issue in accordance with international norms," he said in a faxed statement.
As a permanent member of the UN Security Council and a responsible member of the international community, China will handle the issue in accordance with international norms
The report said South Korean and American officials had urged Beijing to include the accounts in the latest sanctions, but Beijing had refused.