Brussels: The EU on Friday imposed additional punitive measures against North Korea over recent nuclear and ballistic missile tests carried out in defiance of United Nations resolutions.
The 28-nation bloc said it was adding 16 North Korean individuals and 12 entities to the sanctions blacklist which counts some 60 individuals and groups who were hit with travel bans and asset freezes after previous tests.
The UN Security Council on Wednesday adopted the toughest sanctions yet against Pyongyang, imposing unprecedented inspections of all cargo to and from the notoriously reclusive country which has locked itself away from the rest of the world for the past 60 years.
The sanctions also ban or restrict exports of coal, iron and iron ore and other minerals from North Korea, and prohibit the supply of aviation fuel including rocket fuel as part of efforts to get Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile ambitions.
EU foreign affairs head Federica Mogherini said earlier this week the bloc would act swiftly on the UN lead, describing North Korea's actions as a "grave threat to international peace and security in the region and beyond." The European Union established diplomatic relations with North Korea in 2001 but contacts are minimal. Brussels adopted its first sanctions in 2006.
The names of the new sanctions targets will be announced in the EU's Official Journal tomorrow.
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