Western Nations Seek A New Eye To Watch Over Kim Jong Un's North Korea Despite Resistance From Russia, China

In the wake of the dissolution of a United Nations body, Western nations are on the hunt for a new entity to oversee North Korea’s adherence to international sanctions after Russia vetoed a UN panel that overlooked Kim Jong Un‘s country.

What Happened: An eight-member panel, initially appointed by former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon in 2009, was disbanded after Russia vetoed its mandate extension in March, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday. The panel’s mandate expired on Apr. 30, posing a significant obstacle to global efforts to limit North Korea’s access to foreign finance, energy, and technologies.

Maya Ungar, a UN analyst at the International Crisis Group, stated, "The sanctions remain in place on paper, but Russia's veto removes the UN Security Council's one impartial source of information on who is breaching the sanctions and how."

Eric Penton-Voak, a former British official who once served as co-ordinator of the panel, revealed that Russia was never supportive of the work of the panel.

"But with weapons being traded and Russian oil being imported into North Korea — all of it clearly visible from satellite imagery — the panel would have become an increasingly annoying presence, so Moscow dispensed with it,” he added.

The UN Security Council initially imposed sanctions on North Korea in October 2006, following the country’s first nuclear test. However, relations between Western nations and North Korea’s allies, Russia and China, have become increasingly strained in recent years. Both Moscow and Beijing have become increasingly critical of the sanctions.

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One potential solution being considered is the creation of a new monitor under the UN General Assembly, which would not be subject to a Russian or Chinese veto. However, this proposal could face resistance from Beijing and bring up complex legal and budgetary issues.

Why It Matters: The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, has previously criticized Russia and China for shielding North Korea from sanctions. This came after Russia's veto and China's abstention from renewing a U.N. panel that monitors sanctions against North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

"We must now consider how to continue access to this kind of objective, independent analysis in order to address [North Korea's] unlawful WMD and ballistic missile advancements," Thomas-Greenfield said.

Kim has been intensifying the country’s military arsenal and testing a new multiple rocket launch system. This move underscores the urgency of maintaining an effective monitoring system for North Korea’s compliance with international sanctions.

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