SEOUL, South Korea: North Korea’s U.N. envoy, Ambassador Kim Song, dismissed the efficacy of efforts led by the U.S. and other Western nations to establish new groups for monitoring sanctions on North Korea.
According to state media KCNA, Ambassador Kim’s statement came in response to a joint statement issued by the U.S. and its allies, advocating for the continuation of the work of a U.N. panel of experts tasked with overseeing sanctions against Pyongyang for its nuclear and missile activities.
The deadlock arose earlier this year when Russia vetoed the annual renewal of the panel amidst accusations, led by the U.S., of North Korea transferring weapons to Russia for use in the Ukrainian conflict. Kim conveyed skepticism towards the prospect of future expert panels, asserting that they are destined for failure over time.
The tensions escalated as U.S. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United Nations ambassador, urged China and Russia to stop giving North Korea rewards for its purported misbehavior when she visited the Demilitarized Zone.
This visit followed Russia’s rejection of renewing the multinational panel responsible for monitoring U.N. sanctions aimed at curtailing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs over the past 15 years.
