Sanctions Against North Korea (2017)
In 2017, international sanctions against North Korea intensified in response to the nation's ongoing development of nuclear weapons. This series of sanctions built on previous measures instituted by the United Nations since North Korea's withdrawal from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty in 2003 and subsequent nuclear tests beginning in 2006. Notably, the United Nations adopted significant sanctions on August 5, 2017, targeting vital exports such as coal and seafood, aiming to diminish North Korea's export revenue by a third. The United States also enacted sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries through Sanctions Act, penalizing not only North Korea but also entities in China that engaged in trade with it.
Throughout the latter half of 2017, tensions escalated between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, with a series of rhetorical exchanges that raised global concerns about the potential for conflict. Despite the sanctions, experts expressed skepticism about their effectiveness in persuading North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions, citing Kim's perception of these weapons as a deterrent against foreign intervention. The situation highlighted the complex geopolitical dynamics in East Asia, balancing the pursuit of denuclearization with the reality of North Korea's security concerns and regional stability.
Sanctions Against North Korea (2017)
Date: August 5 and September 11, 2017
Place: Global
Summary
The North Korea sanctions of 2017 were part of an ongoing controversy related to the development of nuclear weapons by the nation of North Korea and an international effort to prevent the nation from becoming a nuclear power.
Key Events
- January 2003—North Korea withdraws from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.
- October 2006—The United Nations (UN) passes a series of economic sanctions against North Korea in response to the nation’s growing nuclear weapons program; these were expanded in 2009, 2013, and 2016 following further nuclear tests by North Korea.
- August 2, 2017—The United States passes the Countering America’s Adversaries through Sanctions Act, imposing sanctions on North Korea, Iran, and Russia.
- August 5, 2017—The United Nations passes new sanctions against North Korea in the wake of intercontinental ballistic missile testing.
- September 11, 2017—The United Nations tightens sanctions yet again, this time curbing oil exports to North Korea.
- November 21, 2017—The United States imposes new sanctions on North Korea, involving the activities of several Chinese companies.
Status
North Korea experts have not been optimistic about the likelihood that UN and US sanctions would have the desired effect of convincing North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to abandon his state’s nuclear weapons program. Rhetorical threats between Kim and US president Donald Trump continued in December 2017, despite calls for caution and a return to diplomatic measures. Experts in the field believe that North Korea is unlikely to use nuclear weapons in a preemptive strike, as Kim is aware that doing so would result in the end of his regime and potentially the destruction of most of the nation. North Korea claims that the weapons program is designed to prevent a US-led coup such as those that occurred in Iraq and Afghanistan in the 2000s.
In-Depth Overview
North Korea’s nuclear program is believed to have begun in earnest under former leader Kim Jong-il in 2002, when the US government accused North Korea of covertly establishing uranium enrichment programs and ordering secret testing in violation of international agreements. The following year, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. In October 2006, North Korea held its first nuclear test, followed by worldwide condemnation and the announcement of economic sanctions by the United Nations.
In May 2009, North Korea conducted a second nuclear test, an underground explosion that resulted in a 4.7 magnitude seismic disturbance and led to another round of more stringent sanctions from the United Nations and the United States.
After the death of Kim Jong-il in 2011, his son Kim Jong-un succeeded him and accelerated the nuclear program. In February 2013, North Korea held another nuclear test, the underground explosion of a bomb estimated at roughly 6 to 7 kilotons. In March, the United Nations released a statement condemning the action and established another set of economic sanctions aimed at financial transactions and trade in prohibited items. In January 2016, North Korea claimed to have conducted the nation’s fourth nuclear test, of a claimed hydrogen bomb, prompting further sanctions from both the United States and United Nations. In September of that year, in defiance of the continued sanctions, North Korea held an estimated 10-kiloton nuclear test. After the September incident, the United Nations issued their toughest sanctions to that point, including a ban on sales of natural gas to North Korea and a ban on buying its textile exports.
In July 2017, North Korea launched the nation’s first intercontinental ballistic missile. Over the next few months, the nation announced that it had developed the technology needed to launch an intercontinental nuclear attack. For several months, beginning in the summer of 2017, Kim Jong-un and US president Donald Trump traded insults and threats, leading to widespread concern about the potential for a future nuclear war. Trump told the UN General Assembly in September that, if forced, the United States would “totally destroy North Korea,” while referring to Kim as “rocket man.” Kim responded by insulting Trump as “deranged.”
On August 5, 2017, the United Nations Security Council adopted a new set of sanctions against North Korea, targeting prime exports such as coal, iron, lead, and seafood as well as other financial assets involving foreign investment. According to US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, the sanctions would cut North Korea’s export revenue by a third and represented the strongest-ever economic sanctions delivered by the Security Council. This came days after Trump announced new US state sanctions against Korea that would penalize China for continuing trade with the nation. Speaking to CNN, North Korea expert Andrei Lankov of Kookmin University in Seoul doubted that sanctions would be effective and warned that such actions would likely only result in further diplomatic strain between the United States and China.
The United States passed additional sanctions against North Korea in November, targeting Chinese businessmen and North Korean shipping companies, and also announced that North Korea would be added to the State Department’s list of “state sponsors of terrorism.” North Korea was previously added to the list in 1988 but was removed by President George W. Bush during diplomatic talks with the nation in 2008.
Key Figures
Nikki Haley: US ambassador to the United Nations, 2017–present.
Kim Jong-il: Leader of North Korea, 1994–2011.
Kim Jong-un: Leader of North Korea, 2011–present.
Donald Trump: President of the United States, 2017–present.
Bibliography
Albert, E. (2017, November 27). What to know about the sanctions on North Korea. Council on Foreign Relations. Retrieved from https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-know-about-sanctions-north-korea
Boghani, P. (2017, October 4). The U.S. and North Korea on the brink: A timeline. Frontline. Retrieved from https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/the-u-s-and-north-korea-on-the-brink-a-timeline/
Delury, J. (2016, December 2). North Korea sanctions: Futile, counterproductive and dangerous. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2016/12/01/opinions/north-korea-sanctions-delury/index.html
Dewan, A. (2017, August 4). What US sanctions will do to Russia, Iran and North Korea. CNN. Retrieved from HYPERLINK "http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/04/politics/us-sanctions-russia-iran-north-korea/index.html" http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/04/politics/us-sanctions-russia-iran-north-korea/index.html
Roth, R. (2017, August 6). UN Security Council imposes new sanctions on North Korea. CNN. Retrieved from http://edition.cnn.com/2017/08/05/asia/north-korea-un-sanctions/index.html