The European Union is considering additional measures against North Korea following the approval of harsh new sanctions by the U.N. Security Council in order to show solidarity with South Korea and Japan, both major trade partners, diplomats said.
EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini has welcomed Wednesday’s UN unanimous vote to expand existing sanctions following North Korea’s latest nuclear test and rocket launch, saying the bloc would update its sanctions regime.
“There is scope for the European Union to adopt additional autonomous restrictive measures to complement and reinforce the new UN measures,” said a diplomatic note seen by Reuters on the latest discussions.
Germany, France, Spain and Poland want to see what more the bloc can do in areas such as finance and insurance, as well as hitting more North Koreans with asset freezes.
Germany, one of seven EU member states to have an embassy in Pyongyang, also wants better monitoring of the “non-diplomatic” activities of North Korean envoys, EU diplomats said.
While far from Europe, North Korea is a concern to NATO and to the EU’s Asian trade partners.
“This is about supporting our allies Japan and South Korea, who are directly threatened by North Korea’s aggression,” said one EU diplomat involved in the discussions on further measures.
The foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan, which are both in range of North Korea’s ballistic missiles, have phoned Mogherini in recent weeks to urge maximum pressure on Pyongyang.