Two Different Views on Sanction

United Nations Security Council unanimously passed a resolution on Friday, which would pose further sanction on North Korea, blaming its missile test in late November. If Kim Jong-un regime makes further intimidation, the international community will restrict export of petroleum to the North. Evaluation of Japanese media on the resolution was divided.

UNSC had been stepping forward to stricter petroleum sanction on North Korea this fall. New resolution demanded the nations to reduce the export of petroleum by 90%. While UN sanction on refined petroleum had been reduced from annual 4.5 million barrels to 2 million in the last resolution in September, it would be cut as low as to the level of 0.5 million this time. Supply of crude oil would be reduced to annual 4 million barrels, or 525 thousand metric tons.

Although previous sanctions obscurely expressed determination to take “further significant measures” in case North Korea would make further intimidation, new resolution decided that, if North Korea would conduct a further nuclear test or a launch of a ballistic missile system capable of reaching intercontinental ranges or contributing to the development of a ballistic missile system capable of such ranges, then UNSC would “take action to restrict further the export to the DPRK of petroleum.”

Other than oil embargo, new resolution demands the member states to confiscate, inspect or freeze of assets on vessels in their own ports, if they are suspected to transport banned goods to North Korea. North Korean workers abroad will be repatriated within two years after the resolution passed. In addition to sea products and textiles in previous sanctions, other products such as foods including expensive matsutake mushroom, machines, electric devices, lumbers and ships are prohibited to be exported from DPRK.

Asahi Shimbun reported the resolution as something workable. While China had been reluctant to impose stricter oil sanction, new resolution referred to further sanction of oil products in case the North would make further nuclear or missile test. The newspaper raised a headline, which read “Compromise of China on Oil Sanction?” The report revealed a secret meeting between the officials of China and US earlier this month, indicating a possibility of a deal on the resolution.

Yomiuri Shimbun was not satisfied with the resolution. Hoping maritime blockade against North Korea, Yomiuri focused on abandoning of inspection in high seas as a compromise to China and Russia. It formerly reported a possible breaking of former sanctions by helping oil smugglers in the sea, which had supposedly been made by China. From the viewpoint of Yomiuri, it is possible that new sanction will be broken.