UN Security Council Passes Resolution Strengthening Sanctions Against North Korea (August 5, 2017) [1]
On August 5, 2017, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 2371 [3], which strengthened the sanctions regime against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) and condemned the state’s recent missile launches. The Council adopted the resolution under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and decided that the DPRK “shall not supply, sell or transfer, directly or indirectly, from its territory or by its nationals or using its flag vessels or aircraft, coal, iron, and iron ore.” According to the press release [4], the Council also reaffirmed “its decision that Pyongyang shall abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner” and “decided that all Member States shall not increase the total number of work authorizations for such persons in their jurisdictions, unless approved by the Security Council Committee established pursuant to resolution 1718 [5](2006).” The Council named nine individuals and four entities to be subject to a travel ban and asset freeze, while also highlighting that the sanctions imposed by the resolution were “not intended to have adverse humanitarian consequences for the civilian population of the DPRK.”