An animation of an experimental nuclear detonation included in a short video released by Urminzokkiri, a DPRK state media outlet, on 17 February 2013 (Photos: Urminzokkiri screengrabs)
The United Nations Security Council [UNSC] unanimously approved UNSCR # 2094 during a meeting on 7 March (Thursday), in response to the DPRK’s third detonation of a nuclear device on 12 February 2013. The text of the sanctions is not yet available, but I will post them as soon as I have them. The United States [US] Mission to the UN Mission in New York provided a gist of the UNSCR #2094. According to a news release from the United Nations:
Following its strong condemnation of the nuclear test conducted last month by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the United Nations Security Council today tightened sanctions on the country’s trade and banking, as well as travel by targeted officials.
Detailing the new sanctions through a resolution adopted unanimously by the 15-member body, the Council demanded that the country retract its announcement of withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and reaffirmed its decision that “the DPRK shall abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programmes, in a complete, verifiable and irreversible manner.”
Toward that goal, an existing ban on DPRK trade in items related to the nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and officials involved in it was specified as applying to a raft of items detailed in the resolution’s annexes, ranging from “pyrotechnically actuated valves,” to luxury goods such as jewelry with pearls and race cars.
The travel ban and asset freeze was extended to additional individuals and companies, including those involved in the trade of arms-related material and to the Second Academy of Natural Sciences in Pyongyang.
Welcoming the adoption of the resolution, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called its measures “effective and credible,” adding that “the Security Council has sent an unequivocal message to the DPRK that the international community will not tolerate its pursuit of nuclear weapons and related acts,” according to a statement released by his spokesperson.
Mr. Ban called on DPRK and all other Member States to fully comply with the resolution, reaffirming his commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula through dialog.
The statement noted the Secretary-General’s deep concern over heightened tension on the Korean Peninsula, and urged DPRK to refrain from any further destabilizing steps or “bellicose rhetoric.”
“At a time of new political leadership throughout the region, the Secretary-General urges Pyongyang to reverse course and build confidence with the country’s neighbours,” it stated.
Sanctions were first imposed on DPRK by the Council following nuclear tests in 2006 and 2009, including a ban on the import of nuclear and missile technology. The sanctions were further tightened in January 2013 after the country reportedly launched a long-range Unha-3 rocket from its west coast.
Views of an army-people solidarity rally in Kim Il Sung Square on 7 March 2013 (Photos: KCNA)
In advance of the sanctions passage, the DPRK staged a mass Army-People solidarity rally in Kim Il Sung Square in central Pyongyang on 7 March, ostensibly to support a recent statement of the Korean People’s Army [KPA] Supreme Command. On the platform (reviewing stand) for the rally were a number of DPRK senior officials including Kim Yong Nam (President of the Supreme People’s Assembly [SPA] Presidium), Choe Yong Rim (DPRK Cabinet Premier), VMar Kim Yong Chun (Vice Chairman of the DPRK National Defense Commission), Korean Workers’ Party [KWP] Secretary Pak To Chun, KWP Secretary Choe Tae Bok, KWP Secretary and Director of the United Front Department Kim Yang Gon, Director of the KWP Machine-Building Industry Department Ju Kyu Chang and DPRK Cabinet Vice Premier and State Planning Commission (Gosplan) Chairman Ro Tu Chol along with “other senor party and state, officials of the party, armed forces and power organs, working people’s organizations, ministries, national institutions and scientific, educational, literary and art, public health and media fields, service persons of the KPA and the Korean People’s Internal Security Forces and officials and working people of institutions, industrial establishments and farms at all levels and teachers and students of universities and colleges here, more than 100 000 in all.”
Vice Minister of the People’s Armed Forces, Gen. Kang Pyo Yong, read the rally’s keynote statement. The statement and the rally’s speakers “amounts to a declaration of the will of all service personnel and people to win a sure victory by ending at an early date the final decisive battle with the brigandish U.S. imperialists who are working hard to usurp the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK,” “warned that the U.S. imperialists and the south Korean warmongers should clearly understand who is their rival and what miserable fate awaits them and be fully aware that the right to preemptive nuclear attack is not their monopoly” and that “if the U.S. and puppet war-like forces bring the dark clouds of a nuclear war to hang over this land, the army and people of the DPRK will never miss the opportunity but sweep away the aggressors from the earth and glorify this year which marks the 60th anniversary of the victory in the Fatherland Liberation War as a historic year of national reunification.”
On 6 March (Wednesday) Rodong Sinmun published an editorial for internal dissemination, of the conventional, official political mood in the DPRK:
Respected and beloved Comrade Kim Jong Un stated the following. “Our cause is just, and the final victory is ours.”
The invincible mettle of our entire army and people, who have heard the Korean People’s Army [KPA] Supreme Command spokesman’s statement, awesomely shakes this land and this sky. The unchanging faith and unyielding position of military-first Korea is that it absolutely cannot miss a precious opportunity to clearly show before history and the world what kind of power the great Mt Paektu state has, which the world does not yet know nor imagine.
This is how KPA General Jong Hyon Il expresses his soaring anger at the brigandish US imperialists and lackey forces such as the South Korean puppets.
“Clearly know that the US imperialists and lackey forces such as the South Korean puppets.”
The Worker-Peasant Red Guards [WPRG] and Young Red Guards [YRG], as well as all the services and branches of the KPA beginning with our front-line army groups, are in the status of having entered a war of all-out confrontation in accordance with the operations plan finally signed by the respected and beloved comrade Supreme Commander. Our army never makes empty talk. It is the mettle of the revolutionary strong army of Mt Paektu to mean what it says.
If the US imperialists brandish nuclear weapons, we — in complete contrast to former times — will by means of diversified, precision nuclear strike in our own style turn not just Seoul, but even Washington, into a sea of fire.
We are fully prepared to strike at will any target, at any time, with no limitation.
The unchanging position of our army and the Mt Paektu-style of response is that if the enemies pull out a knife, we knock it away with a long sword; if they show a gun, we shatter it with a missile; and if they threaten us with nuclear weapons, we meet them with a means of precision nuclear strike in our style, which is yet unknown to the world.
All of our people’s army officers and men regard the KPA Supreme Command spokesman’s statement as the cannon-roar of victory, and they wait only for the comrade Supreme Commander’s order.
Metals Industry Minister Han Hyo Yon said that the serious measures that were made clear to everyone through the KPA Supreme Command spokesman’s statement are the will of our people and a declaration of annihilation, and he spoke out as follows.
“For nearly 60 years, from the time the armistice agreement was signed until today, we have lived preparing for the final decisive battle with the US imperialists.
Every portion of metal our working class put in during that time was turned straightway into tanks and rocket launchers, and into strategic rockets and nuclear weapons.
We have everything for completely eliminating the sworn enemies from the face of the earth.” The “Key Resolve” and “Foal Eagle” combined military exercises the US imperialists and South Korean puppets are conducting now are clearly offensive exercises for northward aggression and a nuclear test war against our Republic.
It seems that the enemies still do not understand very well how powerful our war deterrent and nuclear deterrent is. Our people will embrace the spirit of annihilating the enemy and completely wipe out the US imperialist aggressors and the South Korean puppet warmongers through a war of all-out decisive confrontation and struggle by all the people.
With the US imperialists, who regard the law of the jungle as the law of survival, one has to resolve things only through the gun barrel, not by words.
We do not make empty talk. Beginning from the forthcoming day of 11 March, there is no such thing as an armistice agreement.
There can be no such thing as a second armistice agreement, either; there can only be a document of surrender from the US imperialists.
Kim Il Sung Socialist Youth League Central Committee Chairman Jon Yong Nam remarked that he is boiling over with conviction of victory and the will to annihilate the enemy after hearing about the KPA Supreme Command spokesman’s statement, and he and stated the following.
“Today’s grave situation, in which the anti-Republic ‘sanctions’ maneuver of the US imperialists and South Korean puppets is proceeding toward military provocation, calls our youth to a patriotic holy war of justice.”
The national defense spirit of the 1950s’ young heroes who entered on the path of decisive war knowing that, although it is a single life for the only fatherland one has, there is no valuable life, no beautiful hope, and no great joy like that of sacrificing youthful days is beating powerfully in the heart of each of our youth.
The KPA Supreme Command spokesman’s statement saying that [the DPRK] will smash the US imperialists and South Korean puppet warmongers, who dare to come at us wielding the nuclear club and saying they will harm us, with means of a diversified precision nuclear strike in our own style, has put all of our youth, waiting only for the order, into the highest state of excitement.
Our youth, who have a never-changing faith that we will win without fail if only the respected and beloved Marshal Kim Jong Un is there, solemnly pledge that they will become 5 million gun barrels and 10 million bombs for the party, leader, fatherland, and people, fill the first-line trenches and be the first to dash forward to annihilate and wipe out the enemies, and fly the Supreme Commander’s flag that shines the marshal’s starlight and the flag of the Republic high on the ridge of Jeju Island’s Mt Hanna.
Kang Ji Yong, director of the Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, noted that the Supreme Command spokesman’s statement is a firm statement of the revolutionary strong army of Mt Paektu for the final victory in the great DPRK-US confrontation that has continued across a century.
The reckless behavior of the puppet army warmongers, who are unchangingly rushing about now saying they will join in with their US master’s plot for a war of northward aggression and make a “first strike” on us, is truly absurd.
The unlimited, powerful strength of our revolutionary armed force, which has entered on an all- war of confrontation according to the operations plan finally signed by the respected and beloved comrade Supreme Commander, is exploding awesomely.
The South Korean puppets, who are utterly destroying North-South relations as the colonial lackeys of the US imperialists and even bringing the calamity of nuclear war to this land without hesitation, will come to clearly know how bitter is the price for being the puppet of outside forces and betraying the nation.
For the diabolical anti-reunification traitors who cruelly mutilated the brethrens’ earnest yearning for reunification, there can be not a shred of mercy.
Get ready, puppet Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Jeong Seung-jo , the traitors who are desperately running about to harm fellow countrymen with the backing of outside forces.
The traitors will have to pay a hundred-fold and thousand-fold price for viciously opposing the nation’s reconciliation, unity, and reunification up to now and engaging in confrontation racket.
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