DPRK (North Korea)
Expected Council Action
In August, the Chair of the 1718 Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sanctions Committee, Ambassador Evangelos Sekeris (Greece), is scheduled to brief Council members in closed consultations on the 90-day report regarding the Committee’s work.
Key Recent Developments
Tensions on the Korean peninsula have persisted in recent months. On 8 May and 19 June, the DPRK test-launched several short-range ballistic missiles, which followed similar tests conducted in March and January. The June launch coincided with a trilateral aerial exercise held by Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), and the US close to the ROK’s Jeju Island.
These were the first such joint military exercises since ROK President Lee Jae-myung was inaugurated on 4 June.
Lee—a member of the liberal Democratic Party of Korea—is considered more favourable to engagement with the DPRK than his predecessor, Yoon Suk-yeol of the People Power Party. In June, Lee ordered the cessation of anti-DPRK propaganda broadcasts across the border as part of efforts to “restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula”. On 20 July, a spokesperson for the ROK’s Unification Ministry said in response to media reports that the country was considering resuming individual tours to the DPRK and that several potential measures to improve relations were under review.
Since his inauguration in January, US President Trump has made several public statements indicating that he may again seek to reestablish dialogue with DPRK leader Kim Jong-un, having failed to do so in his first term. During a 13 March meeting with NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, Trump expressed an interest in restarting the talks, saying that he has a “great relationship” with Kim and calling him a “nuclear power”. On 1 April, Trump told reporters that “there is communication” in response to a question about possible talks with Kim.
According to subsequent media reports, officials in the Trump administration have been undertaking preparatory work for a possible resumption of dialogue with the DPRK. North Korean officials have appeared less inclined to engage, however, and media outlets reported in June that diplomatic staff at the DPRK’s mission to the UN had refused to accept a letter from Trump to Kim aimed at restarting peace talks.
Meanwhile, the DPRK has continued its military cooperation with Russia. In April, both countries confirmed for the first time that the DPRK has provided support for Russia’s war against Ukraine—including the deployment of an estimated 14,000 troops and the transfer of missiles—after the two countries signed a mutual defence treaty in June 2024. On 12 July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Kim in the North Korean city of Wonsan, where he thanked the DPRK for its military support and described the countries’ relations as “an invincible fighting brotherhood”, adding that his visit represented the continuation of their “strategic dialogue”.
On 28 May, the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT) published its first report, which focuses on what it describes as the “unlawful military cooperation” between the DPRK and Russia. The MSMT was established in October 2024 by 11 countries—including Security Council members France, the ROK, the UK, and the US—following Russia’s March 2024 veto of a draft Council resolution that would have extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee. The MSMT is intended to report on alleged DPRK-related violations and evasions of sanction measures stipulated by relevant Council resolutions. The team’s 28 May report details several aspects of the military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including the DPRK’s arms transfers to Russia, Russia’s transfer of military technology to the DPRK, and Russia’s training of North Korean troops in Russia. On 17 July, the participating members of the MSMT held a closed briefing for UN member states on the report.
On 7 May, the Security Council held an open briefing on the DPRK. The meeting was requested by Denmark, France, Panama, the ROK, Slovenia, the UK, and the US to discuss the DPRK’s continued violations of Council resolutions over one year after the Russian veto that shut down the Panel of Experts assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee. On 29 May, Council members convened in closed consultations for the regular 90-day briefing on the work of the Committee.
Human Rights-Related Developments
Between 30 June and 4 July, Elizabeth Salmón, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK, completed a five-day country visit to Japan. During her visit, Salmón engaged with government officials, families of abduction victims, and members of civil society, among others, to exchange views on human rights issues in the DPRK. The Special Rapporteur will present a report of her findings and recommendations to the UN General Assembly in October 2025.
On 20 May 2025, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris delivered an address to a high-level UN General Assembly plenary meeting on human rights abuses and violations in the DPRK. In her statement, Kehris highlighted how the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is building a central repository of information and evidence of human rights abuses in the country to enable deeper analysis of patterns of violations, involving executions, arbitrary detention, and torture, among others.
Kehris also noted that, despite limited improvements in some areas, reports continue to demonstrate that the DPRK’s human rights situation remains dire and is worsening. According to OHCHR analysis, hundreds of thousands of people have been forcibly disappeared by the DPRK, forced labour remains deeply entrenched throughout the country, and widespread hunger persists, with 40 percent of the population suffering from food insecurity. Kehris stressed that OHCHR will continue to engage with the DPRK authorities to encourage meaningful steps toward the implementation of recommendations made by human rights mechanisms and to advance the promotion and protection of human rights for all in the country.
Key Issues and Options
The Council faces several key issues related to the DPRK. The DPRK’s ongoing weapons tests, many of which violate Council resolutions, remain a serious concern for the Council. Sanctions evasion is another key issue, as is the overall effectiveness of the sanctions regime, particularly given that the DPRK is widely believed to have continued developing nuclear weapons since the sanctions regime was first introduced. The DPRK’s ongoing refusal to participate in denuclearisation dialogue and the humanitarian situation in the country are also challenges for the Council.
In light of these issues, Council members could begin discussions on a resolution that condemns the DPRK’s ongoing missile tests, urges member states to comply with existing resolutions, and calls on the DPRK to take part in denuclearisation talks. It could also update and strengthen the 1718 DPRK sanctions regime with a view to exerting additional pressure on the DPRK or other actors found to be in breach of sanctions measures.
The lack of a panel of experts assisting the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee is another major issue. While the MSMT could help fill the information gap left by the panel, it lacks the perceived legitimacy of a Council-mandated entity. Most Council members are therefore expected to continue to advocate for the re-establishment of the panel. In the meantime, however, Council members that are also members of the MSMT could consider measures to enhance the team’s credibility, including by expanding its membership beyond traditional Western allies and exploring options for strengthening its dialogue with the broader UN membership. Council members could also hold an informal meeting with MSMT members to discuss its first report.
The ongoing military cooperation between the DPRK and Russia remains another major issue for the Council. Council members could choose to hold a meeting to discuss any relevant developments in this regard. Given the direct involvement of a permanent member, however, a more substantive response is likely to be difficult.
Council Dynamics
The Council is sharply divided over the DPRK, and this dynamic appears to have worsened as cooperation between the DPRK and Russia has grown. The P3 (France, the UK, and the US) and other like-minded Council members, including the ROK, generally favour using sanctions to help manage the threat posed by the DPRK and regularly call on member states to comply with existing Council resolutions. Many of these members have urged the country to engage in dialogue and abandon its nuclear weapons programme while emphasising that it is responsible for escalating tensions. Some have also called for the Council to show unity and respond to the DPRK’s weapons tests and argue that China and Russia have emboldened the DPRK by blocking Council action on the file. Several of these members have strongly criticised the growing cooperation between the DPRK and Russia, including by highlighting evidence of arms transfers from the DPRK to Russia and noting that these transfers violate Council resolutions. At the Council’s 7 May briefing on the DPRK, Russia called into question the legitimacy and credibility of the MSMT.
By contrast, China and Russia blame the US and its allies for heightening tensions—including through the holding of joint military exercises on and around the Korean peninsula—and have accused the US of not doing enough to incentivise the DPRK to participate in denuclearisation talks. These two members have previously argued that sanctions should be eased because of their impact on the humanitarian situation in the country and have also repeatedly blocked attempts to issue a Council product responding to missile launches carried out by the DPRK in recent years.
The US is the penholder on the DPRK.
| Security Council Meeting Records | |
| 7 May 2025S/PV.9912 | This was an open briefing on non-proliferation issues related to the DPRK (North Korea). |
| Other | |
| 28 March 2024S/2024/255 | This was a draft resolution vetoed by Russia that would have extended the mandate of the Panel of Experts of the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee. |
