EU Blacklists 16 N Korean Citizens, 1 Entity in Accordance With UNSC Sanctions

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - The Council of the European Union said in a statement on Monday it added 16 North Korean nationals and the country's Ministry of the People's Armed Forces (MPAF) to the lists of those subject to an asset freeze and travel restrictions under UN Security Council resolution 2397.

"The decision brings the total number of persons under restrictive measures against the DPRK to 79 persons and 54 entities as listed by the UN. In addition, 41 persons and 10 entities are designated by the EU autonomously," the statement said.

On December 22, the UN Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2397 on tightening sanctions against North Korea over its ballistic missile launch conducted on November 29. The US-drafted resolution caps Pyongyang’s petrol imports and expands the ban on goods exports. North Korea lambasted the new sanctions as an act of war, saying its missile tests were a way of bolstering its deterrence to keep the United States at bay.

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Tensions on the Korean Peninsula escalated last year as North Korea continued to conduct nuclear and ballistic missile tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. The country had already faced toughest sanctions in September 2017 but continued its nuclear activity and development of ballistic missiles.