UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea

The UN Security Council Sanctions Committee on North Korea (formally named Security Council Committee Established Pursuant to Resolution 1718) is a subsidiary body established in 2006 by the UN Security Council's resolution 1718 in response to North Korea's first nuclear test and its other nuclear proliferation efforts.

Resolution 1718 imposed a series of economic sanctions on the DPRK and established a committee to gather more information, specify the sanctions, monitor them, and issue recommendations. The committee's responsibilities have broadened as subsequent resolutions expanded and strengthened sanctions, which include an arms embargo, a ban on luxury goods, financial sanctions, and limitations on export of mining resources.

From 2009 to 2024, a Panel of Experts (PoE) supported the work of the committee through expert analysis,    particularly in evaluating cases of non-compliance. While the committee can make legally-binding decisions on how to specifically execute the sanctions (by naming which entities are targeted, for example), the PoE only had an informational and advisory role in support of those decisions. The PoE was disbanded in April 2024 after Russia used its Security Council veto to block the renewal of its mandate.

Establishment
The committee was established pursuant to resolution 1718 (2006) to oversee the relevant sanctions measures relating to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).

Excerpts of the UN Security Council Resolution 1718 Expressing the gravest concern at the claim by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) that it has conducted a test of a nuclear weapon on 9 October 2006, and at the challenge such a test constitutes to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and to international efforts aimed at strengthening the global regime of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, and the danger it poses to peace and stability in the region and beyond,(...) 8. Decides that:
 * (a)	All Member States shall prevent the direct or indirect supply, sale or transfer to the DPRK (...)

12. Decides to establish, in accordance with rule 28 of its provisional rules of procedure, a Committee of the Security Council consisting of all the members of the Council, to undertake the following tasks:
 * (a)	To seek from all States, in particular those producing or possessing the items, materials, equipment, goods and technology referred to in paragraph 8 (a) above, information regarding the actions taken by them to implement effectively the measures imposed by paragraph 8 above of this resolution and whatever further information it may consider useful in this regard;
 * (b)	To examine and take appropriate action on information regarding alleged violations of measures imposed by paragraph 8 of this resolution;
 * (c)	To consider and decide upon requests for exemptions set out in paragraphs 9 and 10 above;
 * (d)	To determine additional items, materials, equipment, goods and technology to be specified for the purpose of paragraphs 8 (a) (i) and 8 (a) (ii) above;
 * (e)	To designate additional individuals and entities subject to the measures imposed by paragraphs 8 (d) and 8 (e) above;
 * (f)	To promulgate guidelines as may be necessary to facilitate the implementation of the measures imposed by this resolution;
 * (g)	To report at least every 90 days to the Security Council on its work, with its observations and recommendations, in particular on ways to strengthen the effectiveness of the measures imposed by paragraph 8 above;
 * Resolution 1718 (2006), Adopted by the Security Council at its 5551st meeting, on 14 October 2006.

Additional functions were entrusted to the committee in resolutions 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013), 2094 (2013), 2270 (2016), and 2321 (2016). In 2017, the committee began to track the procurement of DPRK coal by Member States. The committee is formed by representatives of all UNSC members.

Panel of experts
From 2009 to 2024 the committee was supported by a Panel of Experts (PoE) that was established by UNSC resolution 1874 to assist the committee in carrying out its mandate; gathering, examining and analyzing information from States regarding the implementation of the measures (including incidents of non-compliance); making recommendations to improve implementation of the measures imposed; and issuing reports.

It was composed of eight experts and was based in New York City. Its mandate had been extended annually through resolutions 1928 (2010), 1985 (2011), 2050 (2012), 2094 (2013), 2141 (2014), 2207 (2015), 2276 (2016), 2345 (2017), 2407 (2018), 2464 (2019), 2515 (2020), 2569 (2021), 2627 (2022), and 2680 (2023).

In 2024 the UNSC did not extend the PoE's mandate, which expired on April 30 of that year. Of the 15 UNSC members, 13 voted in favor of renewing the mandate, China abstained, and Russia exercised its veto power. Russia and the DPRK had experienced a renaissance of their relationship especially in the previous two years as the latter had become an important supplier of war materiel to the former. The vote did not impact the sanctions themselves, only the monitoring. Several members observed that the PoE had recently been investigating breaches of the sanctions regime by the party who wielded the dismissal.

The panel acted under the direction of the committee and its members were appointed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations in consultation with the committee. They had specialized backgrounds in areas such as nuclear issues, other weapons of mass destruction and conventional arms, customs and export controls, weapons of mass destruction arms control and non-proliferation policy, finance, maritime transport and missile technology.