U.S. Pushes China and Russia to Tighten Screws on North Korea

PYONGYANG, NORTH KOREA – OCTOBER 6: North Korean military cadets hold a North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il’s flag during a perform of the Arirang festival which is a part of commemorations marking the 60th anniversary of the Workers’ Party of North Korea on October 6, 2005 in PyongYang, North Korea. The 60th anniversary of North Korea?s ruling, Korean Workers Party is being commemorated with a cultural and art festival and a nation wide celebration on October 10. The celebrations come amid uncertainties in the breakthrough agreement over North Korea?s nuclear programs. (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images)

Posted: September 12th, 2017

The United States is stepping up calls for China and Russia to comply with new United Nations sanctions on North Korea, a move that experts say would make these measures meaningful and have a significant economic impact on Pyongyang.

The United Nations Security Council on Monday night unanimously passed measures that included restricting North Korea’s imports of crude oil and banning textile exports — a key source of hard currency — in response to the country’s sixth and largest nuclear test. The sanctions, which U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley called the “strongest measures ever imposed on North Korea,” were not as harsh as the U.S. had hoped, however, with an oil embargo and freeze on Kim Jong-un’s assets ultimately dropped.

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