Centered on Korea-US-Japan... Russia and China Likely Excluded
Considering Establishment Inside and Outside the UN... Pros and Cons Exist
Russia May Ignore Monitoring Body Outside the UN
On November 15 last year (local time), a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting was held at the United Nations Headquarters located in New York, USA. [Image source=Yonhap News]
As the activities of the expert panel under the UN Security Council's North Korea Sanctions Committee come to an end on the 30th, the launch of a new monitoring body to replace it is becoming visible. A plan to create an expert panel functioning outside the UN, centered on South Korea, the United States, and Japan, without the participation of Russia and China, is being strongly discussed. Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US Ambassador to the UN, also stated at a press conference held yesterday at the American Diplomacy House in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, that they are seeking ways to continue enforcing North Korea sanctions by strengthening cooperation with South Korea, Japan, and within and outside the UN.
President Yoon Suk-yeol is greeting Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the United States Ambassador to the United Nations, at the Yongsan Presidential Office building in Seoul on the 15th. [Image source=Yonhap News]
Major foreign media outlets reported on the 17th (local time), citing sources, that South Korea, the United States, and Japan are pushing for a new multilateral expert panel to monitor the implementation of North Korea sanctions resolutions, which is expected to be established outside the UN. If the expert panel is formed outside the UN, it is anticipated that it can investigate North Korea's violations of sanctions more meticulously without having to consider the interests of Russia and China, the permanent members of the UN Security Council.
However, since it is not an authoritative UN body, North Korea as well as China and Russia may dismiss the investigation results as unreliable. Russia, for instance, continues military cooperation with North Korea and effectively ignores the sanctions against North Korea.
Considering such possibilities, South Korea, the United States, and Japan are reportedly also examining options to establish monitoring bodies both outside and inside the UN. To set up a new monitoring body under the UN General Assembly, approval from more than two-thirds of the 193 member states is required. In this case, Russia and China cannot exercise veto power.
The willingness for cooperation among South Korea, the United States, and Japan regarding North Korea sanctions remains strong. President Yoon Suk-yeol held a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida yesterday to discuss responses to North Korea. Since Prime Minister Kishida recently completed a visit to the United States, it is likely that the two leaders also shared information on North Korea and Russia.
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