Participation of 11 Countries in New North Korea Sanctions Monitoring Mechanism
The South Korean government has launched a new Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) to replace the UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on North Korea sanctions. At a press conference held today (16th) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Jongno-gu, Seoul, First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun announced a joint statement on the establishment of the MSMT for implementing UNSC sanctions resolutions against North Korea.
The announcement was attended by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, Japanese Deputy Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, and ambassadors from eight other countries. The UN Security Council’s Panel of Experts on North Korea sanctions ended its term after Russia vetoed its extension in March, prompting the South Korean government to collaborate with major countries, including the U.S., to establish a new mechanism to minimize gaps and supplement the existing monitoring system.
The countries participating in the MSMT are South Korea, the U.S., Japan, France, the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, totaling 11 countries.
The MSMT member countries plan to continuously monitor violations and evasions of North Korea sanctions and issue specific reports on various topics and fields as needed. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs believes that the launch of the MSMT can overcome the shortcomings of the previous panel reports by being free from the dynamics of conflicts among Security Council member states and from fixed reporting cycles.
Furthermore, the government intends to collaborate diversely with participating countries, related international organizations, and open-source intelligence agencies (OSINT) to ensure the MSMT functions as a key monitoring mechanism that drives the faithful implementation of UN sanctions against North Korea in the international community.