SEOUL, May 27. /TASS/. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea says the outcome of the UN Security Council vote on the draft new sanctions against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK is regrettable and "undermines the international community's confidence". A statement to this effect was published on Friday on the foreign ministry's website.
"A new draft UN Security Council resolution on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) was put to a vote on the afternoon of May 26, New York time. Despite the overwhelming support by 13 members of the 15-member Security Council, this resolution was not passed as two permanent members vetoed it," the ministry informed.
"The government of the Republic of Korea deeply regrets that the draft resolution was not adopted in the midst of the ongoing ballistic missile launches and the possibility of another nuclear test by the DPRK," Seoul added, noting that the draft resolution on sanctions against the DPRK was rejected at the Council for the first time.
"The failure to adopt the resolution greatly undermines the international community's confidence in the Security Council. The Security Council member states should respond to the DPRK’s violation of Security Council resolutions and exert all efforts to play a responsible role in achieving the denuclearization of the DPRK," the South Korean foreign ministry said. Seoul will continue cooperating with the international community to achieve denuclearization and stop Pyongyang's misconduct, South Korean diplomats added.
Russia and China used their veto power to vote on Thursday in the UN Security Council on a US draft resolution that would have imposed tougher sanctions on the DPRK. The draft called for cutting shipments of crude oil and refined products to North Korea. In addition, it mentioned the introduction of sanctions against a North Korean organization, allegedly engaged in hacking activities. It also proposed to block the assets of a number of other structures. In their statements after the vote, Russia and China stressed that sanctions pressure on Pyongyang would do nothing to resolve the situation on the Korean Peninsula.