UN imposes new sanctions on North Korea

The United NationsSecurity Council imposed new sanctions on North Korea onWednesday that aim to cut the Asian country's annual export revenue by more than a quarter in response to Pyongyang's fifthand largest nuclear test in September.

The 15-member council unanimously adopted a resolution toslash North Korea's biggest export, coal, by about 60 per centwith an annual sales cap of $400.9 million US or 7.5 million metrictonnes, whichever is lower.

The resolution also bans copper, nickel, silver and zincexports and the sale of statues by Pyongyang.

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North Korea has been under UN sanctions since 2006 overits nuclear and missile tests. It conducted its latest nuclear test on Sept. 9, and the U.S. and China, a North Koreaally, spent more than two months negotiating new sanctionsbefore recently sharing the proposal with the rest of thecouncil.

"Sanctions are only as effective as their implementation," UNSecretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Security Councilafter the vote. "It is incumbent on all member states of theUnited Nations to make every effort to ensure that thesesanctions are fully implemented."

China, believed to be the only country that buys NorthKorean coal, would slash its imports by some $700 million compared with 2015 sales under the new sanctions, diplomatssaid.

Over the first 10 months of 2016, China imported 18.6million tonnes of coal from North Korea, up almost 13 per cent from a year earlier. North Korean exports to the end of 2016will now be capped at $53.5 million, or onemillion metric tonnes.

Banning North Korean exports of copper, nickel, silver andzinc would slash about $100 million in revenue, while
prohibiting the sale of statues, mainly to African countries,cuts tens of millions of dollars, diplomats said.

The Security Council blacklisted 11 more individuals,including people who have been ambassadors to Egypt and Myanmar,and 10 entities, subjecting them to a global travel ban andasset freeze for their role in the North Korea's nuclear andballistic missile programs.

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