The UN Security Council on Tuesday unanimously condemned North Korea’s long-range rocket launch last month in a resolution to be passed this week, paving the way for stricter measures against the reclusive state.
The resolution said the council “expresses its determination to take significant action in the event of a further DPRK launch or nuclear test” which violated previous resolutions prohibiting Pyongyang from conducting further ballistic missile and nuclear tests as well as acquiring materials for these programs, Reuters reports.
Tighter sanctions under the resolution will be imposed on government entities, North Korean companies, including Pyongyang’s space agency, and individuals linked to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program and could be passed as early as Wednesday, according to diplomats.
“The resolution condemns the launch and reiterates the Security Council’s previous demands that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons program and not proceed with further launches,” a diplomat said on condition of anonymity.
North Korea criticized the move, saying it would hold no more talks on the de-nuclearization of the Korean peninsula and would boost its military and nuclear capabilities, Reuters reports.
“We will take measures to boost and strengthen our defensive military power including nuclear deterrence,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the official KCNA.