UN adopts sweeping new sanctions on North Korea

[Peter1469]

UN adopts sweeping new sanctions on North Korea

They will include searching all cargo ship in and out of N. Korean ports. Seriously, that should have been done since the end of the Korean war.

The U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted harsh sanctions Wednesday against North Korea, imposing some of the strongest measures ever used to pressure Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program.

[donttread]

UN adopts sweeping new sanctions on North Korea

They will include searching all cargo ship in and out of N. Korean ports. Seriously, that should have been done since the end of the Korean war.

How about the following sanction taken by America.
Citizens don't $#@!ing go to North Korea, you $#@!ing idiots they hate you. If you go there, when something bad happens you are 100% on your $#@!ing own.

[Peter1469]

How about the following sanction taken by America.
Citizens don't $#@!ing go to North Korea, you $#@!ing idiots they hate you. If you go there, when something bad happens you are 100% on your $#@!ing own.

Almost none do....

[waltky]

Without oil and food, the unstable regime may take extreme steps...

Oil Sanctions Risk Pushing North Korea Over the Edge
April 6, 2016 - A new round of United Nations sanctions on North Korea has a lot of loopholes, and China is only enforcing those that hit at Pyongyang's weapons-making capabilities.

The rogue nation, that is once again making nuclear threats, is using its hostage population as a human shield in order to get Chinese oil and food. In January, Pyongyang conducted its forth nuclear test. In February, it launched a long-range rocket. In early March, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reportedly ordered the military to deploy the country’s nuclear warheads on standby. It’s not the first time—nor will it be the last—but this colorfully unstable dictatorship will eventually crack, and the price of that could very well be devastatingly nuclear.

Now, in the face of tough new sanctions by the U.N. and ongoing joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises, North Korea is saying it will continue to pursue its nuclear and ballistic missile program in an act of defiance. And Pyongyang says there is no longer any possibility for talks. The new U.N. sanctions target North Korea’s shipping network, allowing for searches of vessels for cargo that could be intended for Pyongyang’s weapons program. But it’s tough to get around the economic relationship between China and North Korea. No sanctions can work if China doesn’t play ball. China, after all, is the central point here: Some 90 percent of all North Korean trade flows to or through China.

Most mineral trade with North Korea is banned, because it’s been used to fund the country’s nuclear program. But food and oil gets through because Beijing ostensibly believes that such crippling sanctions would harm the innocent population and lead to dangerous internal destabilization—which no one wants when a country has its finger on the red button.

The mining sector is being hit hard, but the new sanctions also reveal some interesting connections in the supply chain. According to regulatory disclosures cited by Reuters, there are more than 12 U.S.-listed companies with links to North Korean gold in their supply chains. And it counts even if minerals come through a third-country supplier. The chain has to be followed to its end source. The new sanctions mean that a lot of suppliers face being blacklisted because U.S. companies cannot risk the regulatory fines.

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Oil steady as Iraqi exports up, offsetting U.S. inventories drop
Thu Apr 7, 2016 - Oil steadied at around $40 per barrel on Thursday as a surprise fall in U.S. inventories the previous day was offset by an increase in exports from Iraq, underlining global oversupply.

Brent futures were at $39.89 at 0757 GMT, up 5 cents from the last close and about 8 percent above lows reached earlier this week. U.S. crude futures were at $37.80 per barrel, also up 5 cents from their last close. Oil exports from Iraq's southern ports have risen to an average of 3.494 million barrels per day (bpd) in April, an official from the state-run South Oil Company said on Thursday. This was above the 3.286 million bpd average for March.

U.S. crude inventories fell 4.9 million barrels in the week to April 1, compared with analysts' expectations for an increase of 3.2 million barrels, according to data from the Energy Information Administration on Wednesday. "We are in the aftermath of yesterday's (EIA) data, but if you zoom out there's still oversupply and record inventories," said Hans van Cleef, senior energy economist at ABN Amro in Amsterdam. "Production numbers from places like Iran and Iraq are in focus with people looking to see how it translates into the overall supply picture."

In Europe, North Sea oil field maintenance expected next month lent support to Brent futures, which are priced off North Sea supplies. The over 4 percent slide in the dollar .DXY since the beginning of the year is also supporting oil, traders said, as it makes imports of dollar-denominated fuels cheaper for countries using other currencies, boosting demand. A planned meeting of major oil producers on April 17 to freeze output around current levels, which in most cases remains at or near record highs, would do little to reduce an overhang in production with at least 1 million barrels of crude pumped every day in excess of demand.

Goldman Sachs (GS.N) said it was "less willing to believe in a sustained OPEC production freeze or cut" and instead expected OPEC's production to rise by 600,000 barrels per day (bpd) this year and by 500,000 bpd in 2017. As a result of this, and also production data from the United States, Goldman said it was "somewhere between in line and modestly bearish for prices ... (and that) $35 per barrel WTI is not too high and not too low but just right."

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-gl...-idUSKCN0X4029

[waltky]

Sanctions don't seem to be havin' an effect on FatBoy...

North Korea Could Test World’s Commitment to Sanctions
April 29, 2016 — North Korea’s defiant and accelerated efforts to develop an advanced nuclear arsenal have not been deterred, so far, by the tough new United Nations sanctions imposed in March.

The latest infraction of U.N. resolutions banning Pyongyang’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs occurred Thursday, when the North attempted another intermediate range ballistic missile launch. But the missile crashed seconds after it was fired, according to the South Korean Defense Ministry. The North Korean military conducted a similar mid-range missile test earlier this month that also failed. In response to the lasted missile test, the United Nations urged North Korea on Thursday to stop "any further provocative actions" and the Security Council held a closed-door meeting to discuss if further responses should be considered. Pyongyang is also reportedly prepared to conduct its fifth nuclear test at any time, just months after it set off its last nuclear explosion in January.

Sanctions questioned

The new North Korean sanctions passed in March are considered the strongest international measures yet and are meant to pressure Kim Jong Un to reconsider his nuclear ambitions. But rather than offer concessions, the young North Korean leader has reacted to international pressure with speed and fury, increasing the number and frequency of tests and threatening nuclear strikes against the United States and its allies in Asia. “Under the current sanctions regime I see little hope for making real progress in denuclearization despite all the fuss about sanctions,” said Ambassador Chun Yung-woo, who was a South Korean national security adviser to former President Lee Myung-bak until 2013, and is now an analyst with the Asan Institute in Seoul.

A man watches a TV news program showing a file footage of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea

Ambassador Chun was one of a number of international analysts who discussed the purpose and effectiveness of North Korean sanctions at an Asan Institute forum in Seoul this week. North Korea has been under United Nations sanctions since it conducted its first nuclear test in 2006. The new measures include banning much of the North’s lucrative mineral trade, inspecting all cargo crossing the border for illicit items, and blacklisting key officials and organizations connected to the North’s nuclear program.

China’s mixed signals

China holds the key to effective sanctions enforcement as 90 percent of all North Korean trade passes through its borders. Yang Xiyu, a North Korea analyst at the China Institute of International Studies in Beijing, said contrary to reports of lax implementation, the Chinese government has imposed strict requirements that will significantly reduce trade at the Sino/Korean border. “You need to provide a full set of documents and evidence to show the legitimacy of your deal, and such a complicated procedure technically will sharply increase comprehensive costs for businessmen,” said Yang. However on Thursday, Chinese President Xi Jinping again tempered his support for sanctions with concern for maintaining regional stability. “We will absolutely not permit war or chaos on the peninsula,” said Xi.

A Central Committee meeting is held to mark the 104th birth anniversary of North Korea's founder Kim Il Sung in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)

Ambassador Chun said Beijing is sending mixed signals that undermine the international commitment to sanctions. “The message that Kim Jong Un will get from China’s position is, ‘Don’t worry about serious consequences, we will pretend to take sanctions, but not unbearable sanctions,’” said Chun. If Pyongyang goes ahead as expected with its fifth nuclear test prior to the commencement of its ruling party congress next week, the international community, including China, will likely consider further sanctions that will impose economic pain beyond those targeting the military and elites. “If they go further, I believe they will receive the further shocks,” said Yang.

Iran lessons

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North Korea warns U.S. of a 'dog's death' in face of sanctions
April 29, 2016 - Pyongyang’s anti-U.S. rhetoric has grown in the wake of increased diplomatic isolation.

North Korea said the United States would "die a dog's death" if it continued to engage in "rising tensions" at the truce village of Panmunjom. Pyongyang's state-controlled news agency KCNA said Friday U.S. troops were engaging in provocations at the demilitarized zone and that the threats were "getting worse." "Despite our repeated warnings, if provocations continue, then at any time, at any place, [the United States] would die a dog's death," North Korea said.

According to a North Korean Panmunjom spokesman Pyongyang's soldiers pushed out an incursion at "Oryong guard post" where an "extremely dangerous" provocation took place involving "puppet soldiers," a reference to South Korean troops. North Korea took decisive action, and the provocations took place between April 20 and 26, according to KCNA. There have been no South Korea reports of troop movements at the border. Pyongyang's anti-U.S. rhetoric has grown with U.S. sanctions against the country.

A South Korean soldier stands guard at the Dorasan Station in the Civilian Control area near the demilitarized zone in Paju, South Korea

On Thursday a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said the sanctions were a U.S. plot to carry out its aggression-oriented policy, Yonhap reported. "Throughout history, the United States has regarded sanctions as a major means for pursuing its foreign policy and deliberately wielded this stick against countries and people disobedient to its definition of international law," the spokesman said. North Korea also took aim at U.S. society, saying, "innocent people fall victim to shooting sprees for the mere reason that they hurt one's feelings. This is a daily occurrence in the United States."

North Korea's missile provocations have also been a source of concern. Defense One reported that a U.S. defense official said the Pentagon had no advance warning of North Korea missile launches, such as the firing of two Rodong missiles from a road mobile launcher on March 18. But the U.S. intelligence community is working on algorithms that could train computers to identify launcher-shaped objects. The $10 million project could collect information from U.S. spy satellites, manned aircraft and drones, according to the report.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-Ne...?spt=sec&or=tn

[MMC]

Oh my, N Korea is all butt hurt at people laughing at them over their second failed missile test. Which as you can see they have no intention of abiding by sanctions or and UN resolutions. Moreover with all that smack talk about what they can do and what they will do to the US, just shows how totally inadequate they are.

We should have released a statement condemning their actions while laughing the entire time. Publicly, so that the World knows and lil Kim knows, they are the joke of the neighborhood, and none care if their feeling good.



North Korea accuses U.S. soldiers of provoking border troops.....

North Korea on Thursday tried and failed in what appeared to be its second attempt in two weeks to test a powerful, new medium-range ballistic missile, South Korea's defence ministry said.

Existing UN resolutions forbid North Korea from the use of any ballistic missile-related technology, and South Korea said it would push for fresh penalties to be imposed on Pyongyang.

Separately, North Korea accused American soldiers at Panmunjom, the "truce village" inside the demilitarized zone that separates the two Koreas, of "dangerous provocations" over the past month, including pointing their fingers, "making weird remarks" and mocking the North Korean side "through disgusting expression and behavior".

The council was preparing a statement condemning the missile tests, which are forbidden under United Nations sanctions. Ban's spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, called the actions "extremely troubling".

US military planners have mapped out responses should the North Korean regime invade the South and in case the economically isolated state collapses......snip~

http://quadrangleonline.com/2016/04/...border-troops/

[gamewell45]

UN adopts sweeping new sanctions on North Korea

They will include searching all cargo ship in and out of N. Korean ports. Seriously, that should have been done since the end of the Korean war.

Something tells me that tubby isn't going to like this at all. I wonder what his reaction will be?

[Peter1469]

Something tells me that tubby isn't going to like this at all. I wonder what his reaction will be?

We shall see.

[waltky]

Sanctions gettin' personal...

Kim Jong Un slapped with sanctions for human rights violations by Obama government
Thursday 7th July, 2016 | WASHINGTON, U.S. – U.S. Obama administration reportedly announced that it will impose sanctions on North Korea’s Kim Jong Un for human rights abuse.

According to reports, this is the first time that Kim Jong Un has been singled out personally, in the many sanctions slapped on the country, and placed on the blacklist for human rights abusers along with 10 other officials. U.S. Treasury Department officials reportedly said that the secretive leader was “ultimately responsible” for what they touted as “North Korea's notorious abuses of human rights.” It was added that the sanctions are a move within an escalating campaign to attack the regime’s finances to retaliate against North Korea’s nuclear-weapon and ballistic-missiles tests. The unusual step was also taken due to reports of forced labor camps and the torture and executions of dissidents in the country.

Acting Undersecretary for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Adam J. Szubin reportedly said that, “Under Kim Jong Un, North Korea continues to inflict intolerable cruelty and hardship on millions of its own people, including extrajudicial killings, forced labour, and torture.” Reports added that the blacklist also reportedly names five other official organisations involved in monitoring ordinary North Koreans and keeping an estimated 80,000 to 120,000 people in camps as political prisoners. Officially, the sanctions do not hold much momentum and reportedly allows freezing of any assets that North Korea may have in the U.S., and bar interactions between North Koreans and Americans - both of which are limited or even non-existent. Although the actions were mandated as part of a February 2016 law that required the reporting of human rights violations in North Korea and imposing of sanctions, the Obama administration reportedly revealed that they had long planned to take more aggressive action.

Reports state that the sanctions will have “global financial implications for some of the individuals.” An administration official reportedly said, “The fact they are being named might not affect lives today… But in a future scenario in which the political situation in the DPRK [North Korea] is different, being on this blacklist could have a considerable impact on any prospects these people have. And I think they know it.” Kim Jong Un joins other authoritarian leaders on the blacklist for horrific conditions in their countries, including Bashar al-Assad of Syria, Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus and Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe.

http://www.bignewsnetwork.com/news/2...ama-government

[Peter1469]

He said the sanctions were a declaration of war.