UN Security Council sees "ample possibility" to use sanctions against DPRK

There is "ample possibility" for the UN Security Council to impose new sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to its missile launch, said council President Elbio Rosselli on Tuesday.

He made the remarks after a closed-door meeting among the 15 council members on the issue of the DPRK. The meeting was convened two days after the DPRK test fired a ballistic missile.

Rosselli, the Uruguayan ambassador to the United Nations, voiced absolute rejection of the continued nuclear tests and missile launches conducted by the DPRK, adding the council will be working on ways to resolve the threat.

There is ample possibility for the council to use sanctions to respond to the current situation without closing other options "through creative, subtle and peaceful diplomacy," Rosselli said.

He said the council emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and stability in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia at large, while urging the DPRK to show sincere commitment to de-nuclearization immediately.

He also called on all UN member states to honor their obligations under Security Council resolutions on sanctions on the DPRK.

According to previous Security Council resolutions, the DPRK is banned from conducting any launches that use ballistic missile technology, nuclear tests or any other provocation.

The council has already imposed tough sanctions on the DPRK, including banning the sale and transfer of coal, iron and iron ore from the country's territory. Endi