US Ambassador To The United Nations Urges Russia And China To Stop Protecting North Korea From Sanctions

US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield. (Wikimedia Commons/US Department of State)

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations urged Russia and China on Tuesday to change course, stop providing support for North Korea's bad behavior, including protecting it from sanctions related to its weapons program.

That was conveyed by Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield delivering the statement during a visit to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), a closely guarded border between North Korea and South Korea, which is technically still in a state of war.

His visit to South Korea came after Russia rejected the annual update of multinational panel of experts, who for the past 15 years have monitored the implementation of UN sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

Moscow Veto and Beijing abstain only "enhanced" North Korea's efforts to evade international sanctions and "protect it" from accountability, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield said.

"Hiding the truth will not change that. Respecting bad behavior will only encourage it," he told reporters.

"We urge Russia and China to reverse course and once again urge Pyongyang to vote for diplomacy and come to the negotiating table to commit to a constructive dialogue," he continued.

He further said Washington would cooperate with South Korea, Japan and other partners on the Security Council to seek "some creative ways, some out-of-the-box thinking", to continue to monitor enforcement of sanctions and other work carried out by the panel.

In addition to the DMZ, he also met with a group of young North Korean defectors, praising their flight to South Korea as a "dare and inspiring" act.

"One of my priorities is to improve the profile of human rights abuses in the DPRK, to improve your profile and strengthen your voice as an escape," he told them, referring to North Korea with its official initials, the Democratic People's Republic. from Korea.

Earlier, Ambassador Thomas-Greenfield arrived on Sunday and met with President Yoon Suk Yeol, Foreign Minister and Minister of Defense Ginseng on Monday to discuss ways to obstruct North Korea's weapons program, promoting human rights in the country.