UNITED NATIONS: North Korean ambassador to the United Nations, Kim Song, on Thursday thanked Russia for using its veto power to effectively end official UN monitoring of sanctions on his country.
The Ambassador said Pyongyang “highly appreciates Russia’s veto” that blocked the renewal of an expert sanctions panel, “as an independent exercise of the right to international justice and impartiality.”
North Korea has been under increasing sanctions since 2006, put in place by the United Nations Security Council in response to its nuclear program.
But since 2019, Russia and China have tried to persuade the UN Security Council to ease the sanctions, which have no expiration date.
Two weeks ago, Russia vetoed a vote extending the mandate of the committee responsible for sanctions monitoring, while China abstained.
During a debate Thursday at the General Assembly, which must follow any veto, Kim attacked what he called “the heinous hostile policy of the US to trample underfoot (North Korea’s) sovereignty (and) right to development and existence.”
