South Korea, USA and Japan form Committee to Sanction North Korea

On October 16, the United States, South Korea, and Japan launched a new Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team to oversee the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea. This move follows Russia’s decision in March 2024 to block the renewal of a UN panel of experts responsible for monitoring the sanctions, a role the panel had fulfilled for the past 15 years. China abstained from the vote, leaving the UN’s oversight in limbo.

The new monitoring team, involving eight additional countries, including Britain, France, and Germany, will continue the work of the UN panel. It will issue regular reports on sanctions enforcement, focusing on curbing North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

The announcement was made at a press conference in Seoul, where US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, and Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, alongside ambassadors from the participating countries, detailed the initiative. The team is intended to fill the gap left by the stalled UN panel and ensure sanctions enforcement continues amidst ongoing violations by North Korea.

Although the coalition seeks to reinstate the UN monitoring system, the new team is open to any country willing to support the implementation of the sanctions.