On the possibility of Seoul and Washington imposing unilateral sanctions against Pyongyang, South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin said that “the new government has considered imposing unilateral sanctions on North Korea if it continues nuclear testing.” various detailed procedures for this.

He added: “North Korea appears to have completed all preparations for a nuclear test,” and stressed that the timing could only depend on the “political determination of the regime’s leadership.” He pointed out that “in the event of an expected large-scale nuclear test, South Korea will coordinate with the international community to send a strong signal to North Korea and respond with strong containment of its provocation.”

Last month, the UN Security Council failed to pass new sanctions proposed by the United States in response to Pyongyang’s ballistic missile tests.