UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council on Friday expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea after its repeated missile tests, adopting the first such resolution agreed by the United States and Pyongyang’s only major ally China since President Donald Trump took office.

The Trump administration has been pressing China aggressively to rein in its reclusive neighbor, warning that all options are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development programs.

The United States has struggled to slow those programs, which have become a security priority given Pyongyang’s vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

“The United States will continue to seek a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to this situation,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the council after the vote.

But she added: “Beyond diplomatic and financial consequences, the United States remains prepared to counteract North Korean aggression through other means, if necessary.”

Adding names to the U.N. blacklist - a global travel ban and asset freeze - was the minimum sanctions measures the Security Council could have taken and comes after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

“The Security Council is sending a clear message to North Korea today - stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences,” Haley said.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, sanctions four entities, including the Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People’s Army, and 14 people, including the head of Pyongyang’s overseas spying operations.

North Korea’s Koryo Bank handles overseas transactions for Office 38, a shadowy body that manages the private slush funds of the North Korean leadership, according to a South Korean government database.

‘CRITICAL WINDOW’

The measures adopted on Friday could have been agreed by the council’s North Korea sanctions committee behind closed doors, but Washington convinced China to back a public vote on the blacklist, amplifying the council’s unhappiness with Pyongyang’s defiance of a U.N. ban on ballistic missile launches.

The U.N. Security Council first imposed sanctions on Pyongyang in 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear tests and two long-range missile launches. North Korea is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

“There is a critical window of opportunity for the nuclear issue of the peninsula to come back to the right track of seeking a settlement through dialogue and negotiations,” Chinese U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the council.

The United Nations Security Council vote on a resolution to expand its North Korea blacklist after the Asian state's repeated missile tests, at the U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., June 2, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Segar

“It is incumbent on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and to do more to help ease the tension and build mutual trust.”

He again proposed a simultaneous freeze of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and South Korea and the United States’ joint military exercises. Russia said the suggestion merits “serious consideration.”

Haley said: “We want a negotiated solution, but North Korea must fulfill its basic obligations by first stopping all ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons testing and taking concrete steps toward getting rid of its nuclear weapons program.”

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Security Council on April 28 that it needed to act before North Korea does. Just hours after the meeting - chaired by Tillerson during his first visit to the United Nations as the top U.S. diplomat - Pyongyang launched yet another ballistic missile.

‘UNFRIENDLY STEPS’

Within days the United States proposed to China that the Security Council strengthen sanctions on North Korea over its repeated missile launches. Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated new sanctions before involving the other council members.

Pyongyang has launched several more ballistic missiles since then, including a short-range missile on Monday that landed in the sea off its east coast.

Diplomats said it appeared China was still only likely to consider additional strong new U.N. sanctions measures, such as an oil embargo, a ban on Pyongyang’s airline or tougher economic sanctions, if North Korea conducted a long-range missile launch or another nuclear test.

The last round of complex sanctions imposed by the Security Council took three months to negotiate following Pyongyang’s fifth nuclear test in September. Those measures aimed to cut North Korea’s annual export revenue by a quarter.

China has also been infuriated by the U.S. deployment of an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying it was a threat to its security and would do nothing to ease tension with Pyongyang.

Security Council veto power Russia backed the U.N. measures on Friday. Moscow’s support had been unclear after the United States imposed its own sanctions on Thursday on Russian firms for their support of North Korea’s weapons programs.

“This step is something that is very puzzling and deeply disappointing,” Deputy Russian U.N. Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said of the U.S. sanctions amid battered U.S.-Russia relations.

“Instead of trying to work through the bilateral backlog in our work, Washington is doing exactly the opposite and undertaking unfriendly steps, which make it more difficult to normalize our dialogue and make it more difficult to cooperate in international affairs,” he told the Security Council.

Slideshow (3 Images)

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday voiced support for the unanimous U.N decision and called on North Korea to refrain from repeated nuclear tests and missile launches.

The United States is encouraged by China’s efforts to restrain North Korea, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said in Singapore on Saturday, adding the threat from North Korea was “clear and present”.</s>The UN Security Council on Friday expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea after its repeated missile tests, adopting the first such resolution agreed by the United States and Pyongyang’s only major ally China since President Donald Trump took office.

The Trump administration has been pressing China aggressively to rein in its reclusive neighbour, warning that all options are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development.

The United States has struggled to slow North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, which have become a security priority given Pyongyang’s vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

Adding names to the UN blacklist – a global travel ban and asset freeze – was the minimum sanctions measures the Security Council could have taken and comes after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, sanctions four entities, including the Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People’s Army, and 14 people, including the head of Pyongyang’s overseas spying operations.

North Korea’s Koryo Bank handles overseas transactions for Office 38, a shadowy body that manages the private slush funds of the North Korean leadership, according to a South Korean government database.

The measures adopted on Friday could have been agreed by the council’s North Korea sanctions committee behind closed doors, but Washington convinced China to back a public vote on the blacklist, amplifying the council’s unhappiness with Pyongyang’s defiance of a UN ban on ballistic missile launches.

The UN Security Council first imposed sanctions on Pyongyang in 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear tests and two long-range missile launches. North Korea is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Security Council on April 28 that it needed to act before North Korea does. Just hours after the meeting – chaired by Tillerson during his first visit to the United Nations as the top U.S. diplomat – Pyongyang launched yet another ballistic missile.

Within days the United States proposed to China that the Security Council strengthen sanctions on North Korea over its repeated missile launches. Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated new sanctions before involving the other council members.

Pyongyang has launched several more ballistic missiles since then, including a short-range missile on Monday that landed in the sea off its east coast.

Diplomats said it appeared China was still only likely to consider additional strong new UN sanctions measures, such as an oil embargo, a ban on Pyongyang’s airline or tougher economic sanctions, if North Korea conducted a long-range missile launch or another nuclear test.

The last round of complex sanctions imposed by the Security Council took three months to negotiate following Pyongyang’s fifth nuclear test in September. Those measures aimed to cut North Korea’s annual export revenue by a quarter.

China has also been infuriated by the U.S. deployment of an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying it was a threat to its security and would do nothing to ease tension with Pyongyang.

Security Council veto power Russia backed the UN measures on Friday. Moscow’s support had been unclear after the United States imposed its own sanctions on Thursday on two Russian firms for their support of North Korea’s weapons programs. Russia is also unhappy with the THAAD deployment.</s>The U.N. Security Council on Friday expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea after its repeated missile tests, adopting the first such resolution agreed by the United States and Pyongyang’s only major ally China since President Donald Trump took office.

The Trump administration has been pressing China aggressively to rein in its reclusive neighbour, warning that all options are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development.

The United States has struggled to slow North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs, which have become a security priority given Pyongyang’s vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

Adding names to the U.N. blacklist – a global travel ban and asset freeze – was the minimum sanctions measures the Security Council could have taken and comes after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, sanctions four entities, including the Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People’s Army, and 14 people, including the head of Pyongyang’s overseas spying operations.

North Korea’s Koryo Bank handles overseas transactions for Office 38, a shadowy body that manages the private slush funds of the North Korean leadership, according to a South Korean government database.

The measures adopted on Friday could have been agreed by the council’s North Korea sanctions committee behind closed doors, but Washington convinced China to back a public vote on the blacklist, amplifying the council’s unhappiness with Pyongyang’s defiance of a U.N. ban on ballistic missile launches.</s>United Nations: The U.N. Security Council on Friday expanded targeted sanctions against North Korea after its repeated missile tests, adopting the first such resolution agreed by the United States and Pyongyang`s only major ally China since President Donald Trump took office.

The Trump administration has been pressing China aggressively to rein in its reclusive neighbor, warning that all options are on the table if Pyongyang persists with its nuclear and missile development programs.

The United States has struggled to slow those programs, which have become a security priority given Pyongyang`s vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

"The United States will continue to seek a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to this situation," U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the council after the vote.

But she added: "Beyond diplomatic and financial consequences, the United States remains prepared to counteract North Korean aggression through other means, if necessary."

Adding names to the U.N. blacklist - a global travel ban and asset freeze - was the minimum sanctions measures the Security Council could have taken and comes after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

"The Security Council is sending a clear message to North Korea today - stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences," Haley said.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, sanctions four entities, including the Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People`s Army, and 14 people, including the head of Pyongyang`s overseas spying operations.

North Korea`s Koryo Bank handles overseas transactions for Office 38, a shadowy body that manages the private slush funds of the North Korean leadership, according to a South Korean government database.

The measures adopted on Friday could have been agreed by the council`s North Korea sanctions committee behind closed doors, but Washington convinced China to back a public vote on the blacklist, amplifying the council`s unhappiness with Pyongyang`s defiance of a U.N. ban on ballistic missile launches.

The U.N. Security Council first imposed sanctions on Pyongyang in 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear tests and two long-range missile launches. North Korea is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

"There is a critical window of opportunity for the nuclear issue of the peninsula to come back to the right track of seeking a settlement through dialogue and negotiations," Chinese U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the council.

"It is incumbent on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and to do more to help ease the tension and build mutual trust."

He again proposed a simultaneous freeze of North Korea`s nuclear and missile programs and South Korea and the United States` joint military exercises. Russia said the suggestion merits "serious consideration."

Haley said: "We want a negotiated solution, but North Korea must fulfill its basic obligations by first stopping all ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons testing and taking concrete steps towards getting rid of its nuclear weapons program."

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Security Council on April 28 that it needed to act before North Korea does. Just hours after the meeting - chaired by Tillerson during his first visit to the United Nations as the top U.S. diplomat - Pyongyang launched yet another ballistic missile.

Within days the United States proposed to China that the Security Council strengthen sanctions on North Korea over its repeated missile launches. Traditionally, the United States and China have negotiated new sanctions before involving the other council members.</s>The UN Security Council has expanded sanctions against North Korea in response to a series of missile tests conducted by Pyongyang this year.

The measures imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on four entities and 14 officials, including the head of North Korea’s overseas spying operations.

The Council voted unanimously on Friday to back the sanctions after weeks of negotiations between the US and China, CNN reported.

The new asset and travel freeze targeted senior officials and its core military apparatus that were directly responsible for the regime’s illicit nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, South Korea Ambassador to the UN, Cho Tae-Yul, told the council.

The list of expanded sanctions also included state officials and banks.

North Korea’s strategic rocket force, the Koryo Bank and two trading firms were also added to the list.

The Koryo Bank was linked to a party office that managed the finances of North Korea’s top officials, including leader Kim Jong-un.

Though US military exercises in the Korean peninsula had been controversial in the international community, US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley urged Security Council members to enforce the new sanctions.

“The Security Council is sending a clear message to North Korea today — stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences,” Haley said after the vote.

“Countries must also do more to break up North Korean smuggling rings, and cut off the sources of funding North Korea uses to pay for the development of weapons of mass destruction and the means to deliver them,” she said in a statement.

Ambassadors of countries such as France and Italy supported the resolution but stressed that sanctions are only a means to an end, not a goal realised.</s>The Security Council on Friday expanded targeted sanctions against after its repeated missile tests, adopting the first such resolution agreed by the United States and Pyongyang's only major ally since President took office.

The Trump administration has been pressing aggressively to rein in its reclusive neighbour, warning that all options are on the table if persists with its nuclear and missile development programmes.

The United States has struggled to slow those programs, which have become a security priority given Pyongyang's vow to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the U.S. mainland.

"The United States will continue to seek a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to this situation," US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the council after the vote.

But she added: "Beyond diplomatic and financial consequences, the United States remains prepared to counteract North Korean aggression through other means, if necessary."

Adding names to the — a global travel ban and asset freeze — was the minimum sanctions measures the Security Council could have taken and comes after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

"The Security Council is sending a clear message to today — stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences," Haley said.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, sanctions four entities, including the Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People's Army, and 14 people, including the head of Pyongyang's overseas spying operations.

North Korea's Koryo Bank handles overseas transactions for Office 38, a shadowy body that manages the private slush funds of the North Korean leadership, according to a South Korean government database.

The measures adopted on Friday could have been agreed by the council's sanctions committee behind closed doors, but Washington convinced to back a public vote on the blacklist, amplifying the council's unhappiness with Pyongyang's defiance of a ban on ballistic missile launches.

The Security Council first imposed sanctions on in 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear tests and two long-range missile launches. is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

"There is a critical window of opportunity for the nuclear issue of the peninsula to come back to the right track of seeking a settlement through dialogue and negotiations," Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the council.

"It is incumbent on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and to do more to help ease the tension and build mutual trust."

He again proposed a simultaneous freeze of North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes and South Korea and the United States' joint military exercises. Russia said the suggestion merits "serious consideration."

Haley said: "We want a negotiated solution, but must fulfill its basic obligations by first stopping all ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons testing and taking concrete steps towards getting rid of its nuclear weapons programme."

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Security Council on April 28 that it needed to act before does. Just hours after the meeting — chaired by Tillerson during his first visit to the United Nations as the top US diplomat — launched yet another ballistic missile.

Within days the United States proposed to that the Security Council strengthen sanctions on over its repeated missile launches. Traditionally, the United States and have negotiated new sanctions before involving the other council members.

has launched several more ballistic missiles since then, including a short-range missile on Monday that landed in the sea off its east coast.

Diplomats said it appeared was still only likely to consider additional strong new sanctions measures, such as an oil embargo, a ban on Pyongyang's airline or tougher economic sanctions, if conducted a long-range missile launch or another nuclear test.

The last round of complex sanctions imposed by the Security Council took three months to negotiate following Pyongyang's fifth nuclear test in September. Those measures aimed to cut North Korea's annual export revenue by a quarter.

has also been infuriated by the U.S. deployment of an advanced Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-missile system in South Korea, saying it was a threat to its security and would do nothing to ease tension with

Security Council veto power Russia backed the measures on Friday. Moscow's support had been unclear after the United States imposed its own sanctions on Thursday on Russian firms for their support of North Korea's weapons programs.

"This step is something that is very puzzling and deeply disappointing," Deputy Russian Ambassador Vladimir Safronkov said of the US sanctions amid battered US — Russia relations.</s>Showcasing a unique aspect of the President Trump common sense approach toward coalition building, today the United Nations security council voted unanimously, in public, to increase sanctions against North Korea. Yes, ‘unanimously’.

China and Russia voted in alliance with the permanent security council members the U.S., France and the United Kingdom to support increased sanctions. They voted in alignment publicly. Don’t look for the anti-Trump media to make note of this critical point.

(Via Reuters) […] Adding names to the U.N. blacklist – a global travel ban and asset freeze – was the minimum sanctions measures the Security Council could have taken and comes after five weeks of negotiations between Washington and Beijing.

“The Security Council is sending a clear message to North Korea today – stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences,” Haley said.

The resolution, adopted unanimously by the 15-member council, sanctions four entities, including the Koryo Bank and Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People’s Army, and 14 people, including the head of Pyongyang’s overseas spying operations.

North Korea’s Koryo Bank handles overseas transactions for Office 38, a shadowy body that manages the private slush funds of the North Korean leadership, according to a South Korean government database.

‘CRITICAL WINDOW’ – The measures adopted on Friday could have been agreed by the council’s North Korea sanctions committee behind closed doors, but Washington convinced China to back a public vote on the blacklist, amplifying the council’s unhappiness with Pyongyang’s defiance of a U.N. ban on ballistic missile launches.

The U.N. Security Council first imposed sanctions on Pyongyang in 2006 over its ballistic missile and nuclear programs and has ratcheted up the measures in response to five nuclear tests and two long-range missile launches. North Korea is threatening a sixth nuclear test.

“There is a critical window of opportunity for the nuclear issue of the peninsula to come back to the right track of seeking a settlement through dialogue and negotiations,” Chinese U.N. Ambassador Liu Jieyi told the council. “It is incumbent on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and to do more to help ease the tension and build mutual trust.”

He again proposed a simultaneous freeze of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs and South Korea and the United States’ joint military exercises. Russia said the suggestion merits “serious consideration.”

Haley said: “We want a negotiated solution, but North Korea must fulfill its basic obligations by first stopping all ballistic missile launches and nuclear weapons testing and taking concrete steps towards getting rid of its nuclear weapons program.”

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told the Security Council on April 28 that it needed to act before North Korea does. Just hours after the meeting – chaired by Tillerson during his first visit to the United Nations as the top U.S. diplomat – Pyongyang launched yet another ballistic missile. (read more)</s>UNITED NATIONS (AP) — UN Security Council approves adding 15 North Koreans linked to its nuclear program to a UN sanctions blacklist.</s>United Nations: The Security Council voted unanimously to add 15 individuals and four entities linked to North Korea's nuclear and missile programs to a United Nations sanctions blacklist, but Chinese opposition blocked tougher new sanctions that the United States was pushing.

While the resolution will impose a global travel ban and asset freeze on a range of North Koreans, including the man believed to head its overseas espionage operations and foreign intelligence collection, it will not target critical oil deliveries, a measure the Trump administration was seeking to step up pressure on Pyongyang.

In a tough speech after the vote, United States ambassador Nikki Haley said, "the Security Council is sending a clear message to North Korea today: Stop firing ballistic missiles or face the consequences".

While she said the United States wants a negotiated solution to the North's nuclear program and isn't seeking regime change, she reiterated that "all options for responding to future provocations remain on the table."

Haley urged all countries to break diplomatic ties with North Korea, stop illegal trade and do more to break up smuggling rings and cut off funding for the country's nuclear and missile programs. "Beyond diplomatic and financial consequences, the United States remains prepared to counteract North Korean aggression through other means, if necessary," she said.

By contrast, China's United States ambassador Liu Jieyi stressed that the resolution reiterated the importance of maintaining peace and security on the Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia and expressed the council's commitment to a peaceful diplomatic and political solution, and to the importance of reducing tensions.

"The current situation on the peninsula is complex and sensitive," he said. "At the same time, there is a critical window of opportunity for the nuclear issue of the peninsula to come back to the right path of seeking a settlement through dialogue and negotiations."

Liu said China was calling on all parties to implement the resolution and "strive for a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue" by strengthening efforts to denuclearise the Korean peninsula and promote peace and dialogue.

He reiterated China's proposal for North Korea to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for a suspension of massive military exercises by the United States and South Korea.

Before Friday's vote, the North Korean sanctions blacklist named 39 individuals and 42 entities and groups subject to sanctions.

In addition to the foreign intelligence chief, the resolution imposes sanctions on officials who control the media and key government and military appointments. The Vietnam representative of a bank and the heads of two companies will also face sanctions. In addition, all countries are now required to freeze the assets of two trading companies, a bank and the Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People's Army, which is in charge of all ballistic missile programs.

The Security Council has already imposed six rounds of sanctions on North Korea, and the United States and its allies have pushed for tougher measures in response to a wave of missile tests by Pyongyang. But China's Liu made clear last week that Beijing's top priority is to restart talks with North Korea and reduce tensions, rather than impose new sanctions.

The first individual on the proposed new blacklist is Cho Il U, identified as the director of the Fifth Bureau of the Reconnaissance General Bureau who is believed to be the overseas espionage and intelligence chief.

Another key figure on the list is Kim Chol Nam, president of Korea Kumsan Trading Co, which procures supplies for North Korea's atomic energy department and serves as "a cash route" to North Korea. The company would also be added to the sanctions list.

Kim Tong-Ho, Vietnam representative for Tanchon Commercial Bank, which is North Korea's main "financial entity for weapons and missile-related sales".

Pak Han Se, vice chairman of the government committee that oversees ballistic missile production and directs activities of Korea Mining Development Corp, the country's "premier arms dealer and main exporter of goods and equipment related to ballistic missiles and conventional weapons".

Ri Yong Mu, vice chairman of the State Affairs Commission, which directs and guide all military, defense and security-related affairs in the country, "including acquisitions and procurement."

The resolution condemns North Korea's nuclear and ballistic activities "in the strongest terms" and reaffirms the Security Council's demand that Pyongyang abandon all nuclear weapons and programs and halt all nuclear and missile tests.

It expresses "serious concern" that North Korea continues to violate United Nations resolutions with repeated launches and attempted launches of ballistic missiles, stressing that these tests contribute to development of its nuclear weapons delivery systems. It also expresses "gravest concern" that the North's nuclear and missile activities are generating "increased tension in the region and beyond" and continue to threaten international peace and security.</s>The process of determining Friday’s sanctions involved lengthy discussions between the U.S. and China, North Korea’s only major ally. While the U.S. expressed confidence earlier this month that it could convince China to impose new sanctions, Friday marks their first joint resolution related to North Korea since President Trump assumed office. Reuters reports that Friday’s sanctions represent the minimum penalty that could have been imposed by the UN. This is likely because China is unwilling to consider harsher sanctions against North Korea—such as an oil embargo or ban on North Korea’s airline, Air Koryo—unless North Korea attempts to launch a long-range missile or conducts another nuclear test.

The United Nations Security Council voted Friday to broaden sanctions on North Korea in a unanimous decision from the council’s 15 member nations. The new sanctions will apply a travel ban and asset freeze to 14 people and four North Korean entities. Among the blacklisted officials is the head of North Korea’s overseas spying operations, senior members of North Korea’s Workers’ Party, and heads of trading firms that have funded North Korea’s military program. Blacklisted entities include two trading firms, the Strategic Rocket Force of the Korean People’s Army, and the Koryo Bank, which is tied to an organization that manages the private finances of North Korean officials, including the nation’s president, Kim Jong Un.

In the last year, North Korea has conducted nine missile tests, the latest of which occurred Monday when the nation fired a short-range ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan. North Korea’s most successful test to date took place on May 14. While the length and altitude of the launch didn’t qualify the missile an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), experts said they found the range concerning. North Korea is widely believed to be developing an ICBM capable of reaching the U.S. mainland, or, at the very least, U.S. bases in South Korea and Japan. The nation’s continued missile testing has prompted numerous threats of increased sanctions from the UN in recent months. Since North Korea’s first nuclear test, the council has imposed six sets of sanctions on the nation, including two last year. The latest round of sanctions, enacted in November 2016, targeted North Korean exports of coal and various metals with the goal of reducing the nation’s export revenue by 25 percent.

While Friday’s sanctions did not require a public vote, the U.S. was eager for China to express its resounding disapproval of North Korea’s missile testing on the global stage. Still, China’s ambassador to the UN, Liu Jieyi, reiterated his desire for increased dialogue with North Korea. “There is a critical window of opportunity for the nuclear issue of the peninsula to come back to the right track of seeking a settlement through dialogue and negotiations,” he said. “It is incumbent on all parties concerned to exercise restraint and to do more to help ease the tension and build mutual trust.” Jieyi added that China would like to see a suspension of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs alongside the U.S. and South Korea’s missile defense testing. During Friday’s council meeting, Russia agreed that a freeze of all programs deserved “serious consideration.”

Leading up to Friday’s resolution, it was also uncertain whether Russia would vote in favor of additional sanctions. A day earlier, the U.S. sanctioned a Russian firm and its director for their work with a North Korean trading company, along with a second Russian firm and its subsidiary for shipping more $1 million worth of petroleum products to North Korea. Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Vladimir Safronkov, called the sanctions “very puzzling and deeply disappointing.”

Despite escalating tension between Russia and the U.S., all member nations were able to agree on Friday that North Korea’s nuclear program and missile testing warranted further action. “Their careless behavior has left them isolated,” the U.S. ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, said in a statement via Twitter. “We will continue the pressure until North Korea stops its threats and provocations.” Earlier in the day, Haley told the Security Council the U.S. would “continue to seek a peaceful, diplomatic resolution” with North Korea. “Beyond diplomatic and financial consequences,” she added, “the United States remains prepared to counteract North Korean aggression through other means, if necessary.”
As a result of North Korea's repeated missile tests, the United Nations Security Council expands its targeted sanctions against the country, adding to the U.N. blacklist four entities, including the Koryo Bank and the Army's Strategic Rocket Force, and 14 people, including the North's head of intelligence operations.