MOSCOW (Sputnik) — On Wednesday, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted the draft resolution condemning "in the strongest terms" the nuclear test conducted by North Korea on September 9. The resolution prohibited UN members from buying a number of North Korean exports, including coal and several metals.
"The government will push for all-out sanctions and coercive diplomacy against the North by taking swift steps, including drawing up additional unilateral measures in cooperation with our partners, such as the U.S., Japan and the European Union," ministry spokesman Cho June-hyuck said, as quoted by the Yonhap news agency.
Earlier in the day, Japan also announced that its own unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang were in the final stages of preparation.
South Korea's measures include sanctioning North Korean individuals and entities and aim at disturbing northern maritime transportation, the media outlet said, citing a government source. Other sources said a Chinese company suspected of supplying aluminum oxide, a material used in nuclear weapons, to North Korea may also be sanctioned in what would be the first time a Chinese entity is involved.
The UN Security Council adopted the first resolution on North Korea in 1993. In 2016, the Security Council held nine emergency consultations in response to Pyongyang’s nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches. This year the country conducted two nuclear tests and at least 25 launches using ballistic missile technology.
