UN Security Council unanimously approves tough new sanctions on North Korea

Resolution squeezes refined petroleum product imports by North Korea and demands repatriation of its citizens working abroad in 12 months

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Members of the UN Security Council vote 15-0 to impose new sanctions on North Korea. Photo: Reuters

Published: 2:57am, 23 Dec 2017Updated: 6:21am, 23 Dec 2017

The UN Security Council on Friday unanimously imposed new sanctions on North Korea following its latest intercontinental ballistic missile test, a move that analysts said could have a significant impact on the isolated country’s struggling economy.

The resolution seeks to ban nearly 90 per cent of refined petroleum product exports to North Korea by capping them at 500,000 barrels a year and demands the repatriation of North Koreans working abroad within 12 months.

Members of the UN Security Council vote 15-0 to impose new sanctions on North Korea during a Security Council meeting over North Korea on December 22, 2017, at UN Headquarters in New York City. Photo: AFP

The US-drafted resolution would also cap crude oil supplies to North Korea at 4 million barrels a year. The United States has been calling on China to limit its oil supply to its neighbour and ally.

The resolution passed by a vote of 15 to 0, said Japan’s ambassador to the United Nations. Japan holds the presidency of the Security Council this month.

North Korea on November 29 said it successfully tested a new intercontinental ballistic missile in a “breakthrough” that puts the US mainland within range of its nuclear weapons whose warheads could withstand re-entry to the Earth’s atmosphere.