South Korea With Top US Envoy Seek 'Alternatives' To Enforce North Korea Sanctions

(MENAFN- AzerNews) South Korea's foreign minister on Monday discussed"alternatives" with the top US envoy to the UN after Russia vetoedthe renewal of an expert panel monitoring sanctions on North Korea,local media reported.

Cho Tae-yul held talks with Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who arrivedin Seoul Sunday, on measures to ensure continued reporting aboutNorth Korea's "weapons proliferation and sanctions evasionactivities," Seoul-based Yonhap News reported.

Thomas-Greenfield is currently on a four-day visit to SouthKorea and is expected to meet with other senior officials,including Defense Minister Shin Won-sik, to discuss cooperation inthe UN Security Council.

"It was very productive and I look forward to continuing thosediscussions over the course of the next two days," she toldreporters as she left the Foreign Ministry building.

Her visit, which also marks the first trip to South Korea by aUS ambassador to the UN since 2016, came after Russia last monthvetoed the UN's annual renewal of an expert panel monitoringPyongyang's compliance with UN sanctions.

The panel's mandate is set to expire at the end of thismonth.

North Korea has been under strict UN sanctions, which call for,among other things, a ban on the country's exports of coal andother mineral resources to cut off Pyongyang's access to hardcurrency.

Thomas-Greenfield is also set to travel to the DemilitarizedZone separating the two Koreas, meet with North Korean "defectors"and speak with students at Ewha Womans University before heading toJapan on Wednesday.

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