Germany will tighten economic sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear program in line with a U.N. resolution passed in November and subsequent EU regulations, German government officials said on Tuesday. Berlin plans to ban Pyongyang from leasing out properties that belong to its embassy in the heart of the German capital, Foreign Ministry sources said, confirming news first reported by Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper and broadcasters NDR and WDR. "We must increase pressure to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table. That means we must consistently implement sanctions imposed by the United Nations and the European Union," German State Secretary Markus Ederer said in a statement. "In that regard, it is particularly important that we do even more to dry up the financial resources used to fund the nuclear program. The German government is in complete agreement and the responsible authorities will now take the necessary steps." Before Germany's reunification in 1990, North Korea had diplomatic relations with Communist East Germany and owned an embassy and several buildings in East Berlin. Since then, the embassy has continued to operate, while one building has been turned into a low-cost hotel and another into a conference center, according to German media reports. The embassy collects "high five-digit" sums in rent for the properties, which have been leased to two operators since 2004. The United Nations explicitly banned such leasing arrangements by North Korean embassies worldwide as part of U.N. Security Council Resolution 2321, passed in November 2016 after North Korea's fifth nuclear test. The resolution says: "All member countries shall prohibit North Korea to use real estate that it owns or leases for other than diplomatic or consular activities." Tensions between North Korea and the global community have increased over the past year amid repeated missile tests by Pyongyang. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump warned that a "major, major conflict" was possible with North Korea, but then raised eyebrows by saying he would be "honored" to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "under the right circumstances."
Germany mulls imposing new sanctions on North Korea over nuclear program
In line with U.N. resolution passed in November, Germany plans to ban the North Korean Embassy from leasing out properties it owns in the heart of Berlin, German officials say • Move follows North Korea's repeated defiance of Security Council resolutions.
Load more...