The United Nations Security Council has adopted a resolution expanding the existing sanctions against North Korea to penalize its communist regime for an unauthorized rocket launch in December.
The rocket launch is considered part of a covert program to develop ballistic missiles that can carry warheads.
The 15-member council voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to adopt the 20-point resolution, ending a month-long disagreement mainly between the United States and China.
The resolution says that the council "deplores" North Korea's violations of previous U.N. resolutions, which banned Pyongyang from conducting further ballistic missile and nuclear tests.
It also says the council "expresses its determination to take significant action" in the event of a further North Korean launch or nuclear test.
The resolution added six North Korean entities, including Pyongyang's space agency, the Korean Committee for Space Technology, and the man heading it, Paek Chang-ho, to an already existing U.N. blacklist. It also added three more individuals to the blacklist.
The blacklisted firms and individuals are subject to an international asset freeze, while Paek and others blacklisted by Tuesday's resolution will also face a global travel ban.
In a blow to Pyongyang, its ally China approved the resolution, the first in four years to expand the sanctions against the North Korean regime.
The rocket launch is considered part of a covert program to develop ballistic missiles that can carry warheads.
The 15-member council voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to adopt the 20-point resolution, ending a month-long disagreement mainly between the United States and China.
The resolution says that the council "deplores" North Korea's violations of previous U.N. resolutions, which banned Pyongyang from conducting further ballistic missile and nuclear tests.
It also says the council "expresses its determination to take significant action" in the event of a further North Korean launch or nuclear test.
The resolution added six North Korean entities, including Pyongyang's space agency, the Korean Committee for Space Technology, and the man heading it, Paek Chang-ho, to an already existing U.N. blacklist. It also added three more individuals to the blacklist.
The blacklisted firms and individuals are subject to an international asset freeze, while Paek and others blacklisted by Tuesday's resolution will also face a global travel ban.
In a blow to Pyongyang, its ally China approved the resolution, the first in four years to expand the sanctions against the North Korean regime.