(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on June 12)

Tougher Sanctions: Let's Ensure Effective Enforcement Against North Korea

The U.N. Security Council is scheduled to vote on a draft resolution Friday to
impose tougher sanctions against North Korea for its second nuclear test
conducted May 25. The resolution is likely to be approved by the council as five
permanent council members ??? the U.S., Britain, France, China and Russia ??? and
South Korea and Japan have agreed on the draft.

Now, Pyongyang will have no other choice but to face much tougher sanctions than
those under the UNSC Resolution 1718 which was adopted after the North carried
out its first nuclear test in October 2006. The new resolution, if approved, will
send a clear signal that the international community will never allow North Korea
to become a nuclear power.
It would be better for the recalcitrant communist state to humbly accept the U.N.
move and give up its continued provocative actions, including the nuclear test
and a long-range missile launch. It's time for the North to realize that it has
already exhausted the patience of the international community. Even its
traditional ally China has agreed to the draft resolution after making some
compromises with the U.S. over the wording and the content of possible sanctions.
This proves that a series of the North's nuclear brinkmanship and saber-rattling
are in blatant violation of international law, the U.N. Charter and the previous
UNSC resolution which bans the Stalinist country from developing atomic bombs,
missiles and other weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Therefore, it is imperative
for the North to wake up from its delusions about nuclear armament and military
buildups.
The highlight of the 35-point draft resolution is bans on any further nuclear and
ballistic missile tests as well as a call for overall arms embargoes and
financial sanctions on North Korea. It is worth noting that arms embargoes will
cover not only WMDs but also any light weapons or small arms and related
material.
U.N. member states are also advised to reduce or refrain from providing any
further financial aid to North Korea unless the assistance is related to
humanitarian activity. The draft aims to prevent the flow of funds to the North
that could help the Kim Jong-il regime produce almost any form of weapons and
lead to their proliferation. In a separate move, Washington is seeking to
implement its own financial sanctions against the North just as it did to freeze
$25 million worth of North Korean assets in its account at Macau's Banco Delta
Asia in 2005.
The real challenge is to ensure how to effectively impose stricter sanctions
against Pyongyang under the impending resolution. China and Russia's active
participation will be vital to the successful implementation of the U.N. measure.
There are also fears that North Korea might retaliate the imminent sanctions by
test-firing an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that has already been
moved to a newly built launch site in Dongchang-ri on the northwestern coast.
We urge the North to pay more heed to the ever-mounting international
condemnation of its provocations before it's too late. Kim Jong-il might need
nuclear bombs and ICBMs to tighten his grip on power and ensure a
third-generation power transfer to his son Kim Jong-un. But he should not forget
that such weapons of mass destruction will only deepen the North's isolation and
trigger the collapse of his dictatorial regime.
(END)