UN approves new sanctions against North Korea

Seoul/New York - The UN Security Council approved fresh sanctions against North Korea on Thursday amid threats from the communist state to launch a preemptive nuclear strike against the United States.

"Taken together, these sanctions will bite, and bite hard," US Ambassador Susan Rice said at the UN. "The entire world stands united in our commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula."

The Security Council’s action was in response to the North conducting its third nuclear test in February, in violation of UN resolutions.

While existing sanctions prohibited the sale of arms to North Korea, the new sanctions crack down on international money transfers involving North Korean individuals and companies suspected of aiding the country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

Countries will also have the right to inspect cargo on North Korea-bound ships, deny them port and prohibit North Korean flights from entering their airspace.

Restrictions on luxury goods such as jewelry and sports cars will target the rich ruling elite in the country where most people live in poverty.//DPA