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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

The United Nations Security Council has voted unanimously to impose sanctions on North Korea [nytimes.com]:

Diplomats said the resolution contained the most stringent measures yet to undermine the North's ability to raise money and secure technology and other resources for its nuclear weapons program. Much depends, however, on whether China — North Korea's leading trade partner and diplomatic shield — will enforce it.

Samantha Power, the American ambassador to the United Nations, called the resolution "comprehensive, robust and unyielding," and said enforcement must be as well.

The Council has sought to hobble North Korea's nuclear weapons program before, but the country has repeatedly flouted those measures. In January, it conducted its fourth nuclear test [nytimes.com] and launched a rocket in February [nytimes.com], even as diplomats were negotiating the current resolution.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the sanctions [un.org] and said that the Security Council "sent a clear message that the DPRK must return to full compliance with its international obligations."

Otto Frederick Warmbier, a 21-year-old American student, recently gave a confession on North Korean state television [theguardian.com] for trying to steal a propaganda banner from a Pyongyang hotel.

Also at NPR [npr.org], Reuters [reuters.com].

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