US, Asian allies go it alone on North Korean sanctions as China, Russia block UN moves

Name: Terrifying moments for Japan train passengers as North Korea missile launch triggers alerts
Uploaded: 2022-12-12T14:00:16.000Z
Duration: 2 min 35 s
Description: Terrifying moments for Japan train passengers as North Korea missile launch triggers alerts

China and Russia have vetoed recent resolutions seeking to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, despite earlier backing similar moves

US-China rivalry has increased North Korea’s strategic value for Beijing and caused its swing towards ‘non-compliance’ on UN moves, observer says

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North Korean leader Kim Jong-un (centre) and his daughter pose with soldiers involved in the test-firing of the country’s new intercontinental ballistic missile. Photo: AFP

Seong Hyeon Choi

Published: 10:00pm, 12 Dec 2022Updated: 3:00pm, 13 Dec 2022

Stalemate at the United Nations over North Korea’s nuclear ambitions is driving closer cooperation by the US, Japan and South Korea to impose independent sanctions on Pyongyang, experts in Korean politics say.

This comes as China and Russia continue to oppose UN Security Council resolutions condemning North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme even as it steps up ballistic missile testing.

02:35

Terrifying moments for Japan train passengers as North Korea missile launch triggers alerts

Park Won-gon, professor of North Korean Studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, said the US and its two major Asian allies were likely to make unilateral but coordinated moves against North Korea, since the Security Council mechanism had become incapacitated.

“As the Security Council is failing to implement additional sanctions, South Korea, the US and Japan have jointly imposed independent sanctions to express the illegality of North Korea’s nuclear weapons development and to draw the attention of the international community,” Park said.

The aim is also to pressurise China, with the strengthening of three-way cooperation expected to be seen by Beijing as undermining its interests.

01:52

China’s Xi ‘willing to work with’ North Korean leader Kim on regional peace and stability

China and Russia, both permanent members of the Security Council, have vetoed recent resolutions seeking to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.

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US, Asian allies go it alone on North Korean sanctions as China, Russia block UN moves

China and Russia have vetoed recent resolutions seeking to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, despite earlier backing similar moves US-China rivalry has increased North Korea’s strategic value for Beijing and caused its swing towards ‘non-compliance’ on UN moves, observer says

China and Russia have vetoed recent resolutions seeking to rein in North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, despite earlier backing similar moves

US-China rivalry has increased North Korea’s strategic value for Beijing and caused its swing towards ‘non-compliance’ on UN moves, observer says