South Korea says working with US, Japan on ‘strong’ North Korea sanctions

The sanctions ban its work in nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, blacklist a number of individuals and entities and bar the country’s leadership from importing luxury goods.

In December 2014, South Korea, the United States and Japan signed a preliminary deal that calls for voluntary sharing of military secrets on North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs among the three countries.

The launch followed a nuclear test one month ago.

Members of U.S. Congress also criticized the launch.

The rocket was launched from a facility in north-western North Korea, the South Korean news agency Yonhap reported. But it is barred under UN Security Council resolutions from using ballistic missile technology.

“The US strongly condemns today’s missile launch by the D.P.R.K., a flagrant violation of UN Security Council Resolutions related to the D.P.R.K. use of ballistic missile technology”.

Sunday 9am North Korean time (7:30 PM EST Saturday) the Kwangmyongsong carrier rocket launched from Sohae launch facility.

The UN Security Council condemned the launch in an emergency meeting on late Sunday, and vowed to take “significant measures” in response to Pyongyang’s violations of UN resolutions.

About 30 minutes later, Park received a phone call from Abe, agreeing to cooperate in the adoption in UN Security Council of the strongest and the most effective sanctions toward the DPRK.

But diplomats say China, the North’s key protector in the council, is reluctant to impose economic measures that could cause North Korea’s economy to collapse.

Meanwhile, Japanese U.N. Ambassador Motohide Yoshikawas said tougher sanctions are needed since the existing sanctions “have not stopped North Korea from developing nuclear weapons”, BBC News noted Monday.

The Council also expressed its commitment to continue working toward a peaceful, diplomatic and political solution to the situation leading to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Head of defense planning for South Korean Defense Ministry, Yoo Jeh Seung, said “Seoul and Washington will discuss deploying the THAAD (Terminal High Altitude Area Defense) missile system in response”.