North Korea requests clarification of sanctions status

The North Korean government is reported to have made a request to the UN Security Council for a ‘clarification’ of the legal status of the sanctions regime imposed upon it.

According to reporting by the Associated Press, the North Korean Mission to the United Nations has ‘accused the Security Council of “uncivilized behaviour” by trying to bring North Korean society back “to the old history of medium darkness…by totally denying the rights of existence and development of our people and destroying whole civilized culture”.’

A recent report by UN monitors said that North Korea made over $200million through illicit transactions in just nine months last year.

The points which Pyongyang requested that a panel of international lawyers should consider are:

• Do UN resolutions prohibiting North Korea’s satellite launches conform with international law, which stipulates ‘that the peaceful use of outer space is an inalienable sovereignty of states?’
• Are sanctions resolutions prohibiting North Korea’s nuclear tests legal when there is not yet an international law totally banning nuclear tests?
• Do veto-wielding permanent members of the council who prevent a nuclear test ban treaty from coming into force ‘have any moral justification to prohibit the tests of other countries?’
• Is the Security Council imposing a ‘double-standard’ by imposing sanctions on North Korea for its nuclear tests and satellite launches ‘without taking issue with such tests and launches by other countries?’

The request was refused.