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UN Security Council
Resolution 2371
UN Security Council; Resolution 2371
	Korean DMZ
Date	5 August 2017
Meeting no.	8019
Code	S/RES/2371 (Document)
Subject	Non-proliferation: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
Voting summary	15 voted for; None voted against; None abstained;
Result	Adopted
Security Council composition
Permanent members	China; France; Russia; United Kingdom; United States;
Non-permanent members	Bolivia; Egypt; Ethiopia; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Senegal; Sweden; Ukraine; Uruguay;

The United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2371 on August 5, 2017, with approval of all the five permanent members and the ten non-permanent members in response to North Korea’s July 2017 missile tests.^[1]^[2]^[3]

The resolution tightened economic sanctions for the 6th time, since they were first imposed in 2006, when North Korea had its first nuclear test.^[4]

The new restrictions ban purchases of North Korean coal, iron, lead and seafood (the country’s main exports). According to some estimates, this will deprive the regime of $1 billion a year—a third of its foreign earnings. The sanctions also prohibit governments around the world from admitting any more North Korean workers, as the regime pockets most of their wages.^[4]^[3]^[2]

Background

Before adopting this resolution, North Korea had conducted 14 missile tests in 2017,^[5] advancing its capabilities to eventually deliver a nuclear warhead. The tests in July 2017 were of intercontinental ballistic missiles. For the first time they demonstrated the capability by the DPR Korea to deliver warheads to even as far as part of the continental U.S.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[5]^[1]

Continued efforts by North Korea in advancing the host of technologies to allow them to launch a nuclear strike, led the UN to for the 6th time impose tightening economic sanctions against the country since they were first imposed in 2006.^[4]^[1]

Sanctions

The resolution imposes several full sectoral bans on exports North Korea uses to fund its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, namely:^[9]^[2]^[4]^[3]

A ban on its largest export, coal, representing a loss to North Korea of over $401 million in revenues per year;^[9]
A ban on iron and iron ore exports, worth roughly $250 million per year;^[9]
A ban on seafood exports, worth roughly $300 million in revenue each year; and^[9]
A ban on lead and lead ore exports, worth roughly $110 million per year;^[9]

Sanctions also tighten North Korea's access to the international financial system, by expanding prior financial sanctions^[10] to include a foreign asset freeze of North Korea's Foreign Trade Bank.^[9]^[2]^[4]^[3]

It also bans countries from accepting new North Korean laborers.^[9]^[2]^[4]^[3]

Analysis

According to some estimates, the new tightening of sanctions will deprive the regime of $1 billion a year, a third of its foreign earnings.^[4]

According to sources interviewed by The Economist, the regime has grown adept at dodging the restrictions, using illicit slush funds in China to finance business partnerships. The higher commissions on offer for such risky transactions simply attract more capable middlemen. Enforcement has been patchy: of the UN’s 193 members, only 77 have reported on their implementation of the previous round of sanctions, adopted in November 2016.^[4]

Further, China, which accounts for more than 90% of North Korea’s trade, has promised to apply the new restrictions “fully and strictly”. However, they do not include the one measure thought likely to cause the regime real difficulty: a curb on the North’s imports of oil.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Gladstone, Rick (August 5, 2017). "U.N. Security Council imposes punishing new sanctions on North Korea". The New York Times. USA. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 8, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e United Nations Security Council Resolution 2371. 8019. Resolution 2371 (2017) - Adopted by the Security Council at its 8019th meeting, on 5 August 2017 S/RES/2371 5 August 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e United Nations Security Council (August 5, 2017). "Security Council Toughens Sanctions Against Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Unanimously Adopting Resolution 2371 (2017)". United Nations. Archived from the original on August 20, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ "Donald Trump threatens North Korea with "fire and fury" - As usual, it's not quite clear whether he meant it". The Economist. UK. August 12, 2017. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 19, 2017.
^ ^a ^b "North Korea conducts new intercontinental missile test". BBC News Online. 28 July 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017.
^ Finnegan, Conor (5 July 2017). "US threatens military action at emergency UN meeting on North Korea". ABC News. Archived from the original on 5 July 2017. Retrieved 6 July 2017.
^ "North Korea hails 'successful ICBM' test". BBC News. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ "North Korea claims it tested first intercontinental ballistic missile". ABC News. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g United States Mission to the United Nations (August 5, 2017). "FACT SHEET: Resolution 2371 (2017) Strengthening Sanctions on North Korea". U.S.A.: United States Department of State. Archived from the original on August 19, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2017.
^ United Nations Security Council (October 14, 2006). "UN Security Council Resolution 1718". United Nations. Retrieved August 20, 2017. (d) All Member States shall, in accordance with their respective legal processes, freeze immediately the funds, other financial assets and economic resources which are on their territories at the date of the adoption of this resolution or at any time thereafter, that are owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by the persons or entities designated by the Committee or by the Security Council as being engaged in or providing support for, including through other illicit means, DPRK's nuclear-related, other weapons of mass destruction-related and ballistic missile related programmes, or by persons or entities acting on their behalf or at their direction, and ensure that any funds, financial assets or economic resources are prevented from being made available by their nationals or by any persons or entities within their territories, to or for the benefit of such persons or entities;