Senator outlines additional UN and U.S. sanctions that could compel North Korea to halt nuclear weapons development, negotiate with int’l community

Boston (January 8, 2016) – Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, today called for strong action by the United States and its international partners to respond to North Korea’s recent nuclear test. Were North Korea to miniaturize a nuclear device and mount it on a missile, it could threaten both the U.S. and its allies with nuclear attack. In a letter sent today to President Obama, Senator Markey outlines a series of additional steps the United Nations Security Council can take to pressure North Korea to halt development of its nuclear weapons-related technologies and negotiate with the international community, including amending the existing conventional weapons embargo to include a ban on imports of small arms and light weapons, expanding the list of North Korean individuals and entities subject to the current travel ban and asset freeze, and imposing mandatory United Nations sanctions on non-North Korean entities that assist that nation’s efforts to evade existing trade restriction. On its own, the United States also could impose secondary sanctions on entities that facilitate North Korea’s evasion of United Nations sanctions, its pursuit of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, and its violation of human rights.

“Although these Security Council Resolutions imposed sanctions on North Korea, existing sanctions have yet to persuade the Kim regime to engage in a meaningful diplomatic dialogue about its nuclear and missile development programs, and major gaps remain in the comprehensiveness and enforcement of the sanctions regime,” writes Senator Markey in his letter to President Obama. “Now is the time for the international community to send North Korea a strong signal that it will never improve its security or gain international acceptance by developing nuclear weapons or the means to deliver them.”

A copy of Senator Markey’s letter to President Obama can be found HERE.