Yoon Suk Yeol Advocates for Robust Measures Against North Korea’s Nuclear Program at Upcoming ASEAN and G20 Summits

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South Korea’s President, Yoon Suk Yeol, has announced plans to stress the urgency of rigorously implementing United Nations sanctions against North Korea during the forthcoming international meetings in Indonesia and India. President Yoon will be in Jakarta for four days, commencing this Tuesday, to participate in a variety of summit meetings organized alongside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). He will then proceed to New Delhi for an assembly of key economically developed and emerging nations.

Yoon Suk Yeol indicated in written answers to queries from The Big Big News that, “At the imminent ASEAN-affiliated and G20 Summits, my intention is to galvanize the global community into taking decisive action against North Korea’s escalating missile activities and nuclear threats, and to foster collective efforts towards its denuclearization.”

He added, “Effective enforcement of the existing U.N. Security Council sanctions can substantially curtail North Korea’s financial capabilities for developing weapons of mass destruction.”

Despite facing economic challenges exacerbated by severe pandemic-related restrictions, North Korea has conducted an unprecedented number of missile tests since the previous year. South Korean authorities are increasingly concerned that North Korea is financing its weapons programs through illegal means, such as cybercrime and the export of prohibited goods. Additionally, a significant number of North Korean workers remain in China and Russia, contravening a U.N. mandate for their repatriation by December 2019, thereby providing a vital source of foreign currency for the regime.

During the G20 summit, Yoon plans to specifically emphasize “the necessity for proactively preventing North Korea from engaging in cryptocurrency theft, overseas labor deployment, and unauthorized maritime transshipments among other illicit actions that chiefly finance its nuclear and missile programs.”

The expanding nuclear arsenal of North Korea is not only a pressing security concern for South Korea but also threatens the United States and Japan. North Korea’s long-range missile capabilities are a direct threat to mainland U.S., while its short-range missiles can reach both South Korea and Japan, key U.S. allies.

In a trilateral meeting at Camp David in August, President Yoon, alongside President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, consented to initiate annual trilateral exercises and the real-time sharing of missile warning data on North Korea by the end of this year. The three nations also resolved to create a joint working group aimed at intensifying efforts to counteract North Korean cyber threats and to obstruct its cyber-aided evasion of sanctions.

Yoon disclosed that, according to unspecified recent evaluations, North Korea is undergoing its worst economic crisis since Kim Jong Un assumed power in late 2011. He stated, “The North Korean regime is squandering limited financial resources on its nuclear and missile development, exacerbating the daily difficulties faced by its population and leading to persistent negative economic growth.”

In the context of international diplomacy, North Korea has been making attempts to fortify alliances with China and Russia, two permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. Despite repeated missile tests, these countries have stymied efforts by the U.S. and others to tighten U.N. sanctions on North Korea.

U.S. officials have raised suspicions that North Korea has supplied artillery shells and other munitions to Russia for its conflict in Ukraine. Notably, last week saw an exchange of letters between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, as Russia seeks further supplies from Pyongyang.

President Yoon emphasized that approximately 97% of North Korea’s total foreign trade last year was conducted with China, giving Beijing considerable sway over Pyongyang. He urged China to take “constructive steps toward North Korean denuclearization,” particularly if missile tests continue.

Experts are divided over the current status of North Korea’s nuclear capabilities. However, there is a consensus that Kim Jong Un is unlikely to voluntarily relinquish his nuclear program, which forms the backbone of his dictatorial governance.

President Yoon is set to attend various summits during his trip to Jakarta, including the South Korea-ASEAN summit, the ASEAN Plus Three summit, and the East Asia Summit, which involves key Indo-Pacific nations, including the U.S., China, and Russia.

Yoon underscored the priority placed on ASEAN and Pacific Island nations in the joint statement issued after the Camp David summit between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan. He views the G20 summit as an opportunity for South Korea to spearhead G20 initiatives to address global challenges, particularly in assisting climate-vulnerable nations and promoting the transition to clean energy.

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More about Yoon Suk Yeol U.N. sanctions North Korea

• ASEAN Official Website
• U.N. Security Council Sanctions on North Korea
• Trilateral Summit at Camp David
• North Korea’s Economic Situation
• China-North Korea Trade Relations
• G20 Summit Official Website
• U.S.-South Korea-Japan Trilateral Relations