Bonnie Jenkins, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State, said in reference to North Korea’s launch of a military reconnaissance satellite the previous day (31st of last month), “It is a realistic difficulty that China and Russia are not in favor of sanctions against North Korea.” We have no choice but to wait and see if sanctions against North Korea will be possible.”
Vice Minister Jenkins met with reporters at the American Center in Namyeong-dong, Seoul on the afternoon of the 1st and emphasized that “we strongly condemn and take it seriously” about North Korea’s launch of a satellite launch. However, he expressed a cautious stance on additional sanctions against North Korea, saying, “Yet to see.” He aimed at the attitudes of China and Russia, which oppose not only the UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea but also the US-led chairman’s statement despite North Korea’s successive ballistic missile launches, saying, “We are aware that there is a problem, and we must do something for this.” pointed out.
Vice Minister Jenkins emphasized, “North Korea is procuring various funds necessary for missile development in ways that are illegal and violate UN Security Council sanctions resolutions against North Korea, such as using virtual currencies.” He added, “Although sanctions cannot be perfect and cannot prevent everything, that fact does not dilute the importance of sanctions.” He also said, “For North Korea, it is necessary to continue to emphasize the importance of sanctions against North Korea.” At the same time, he added, sanctions against North Korea “send a signal that North Korea’s provocations are wrong, and serve to energize the international community to condemn them with political will.”
Under Secretary of State Jenkins, who is in charge of multilateral diplomacy in the field of non-proliferation, is visiting Korea with a US delegation to attend a high-level meeting held by South Korea to mark the 20th anniversary of the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) on weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Although PSI does not target a specific country, it has a strong check and deterrence against North Korea, as it began in December 2002, when the North Korean cargo ship Seosan was caught trying to smuggle Scud missiles and chemicals to Yemen. Previously, Vice Minister Jenkins said at a press conference after the PSI high-level meeting on the 30th of last month, “There are many challenges, including Russia, Iran and North Korea.”
Vice Minister Jenkins opened up the possibility at the meeting that day, saying, “We will have to discuss it over time” regarding Japan’s participation in the Nuclear Consultative Group (NCG) in accordance with the Washington Declaration. However, he said, “The primary goal is to properly operate between Korea and the United States.” Regarding the port call of the US strategic nuclear submarine (SSBN) to the Korean Peninsula, which was decided at the Korea-US summit in April, he reserved his words, saying, “I cannot tell you about the specific strategic asset deployment plan.”
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.