North Korea Shipping Sanctions Home Publications Articles North Korea: Impact of Latest UN, EU and US Sanctions North Korea: Impact of Latest UN, EU and US Sanctions Publications Steamship Mutual Published: January 15, 2018 Contact author Download article pdf Image Background North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003 and conducted its first nuclear tests in 2006. Since Kim-Jong-un became leader of North Korea following the death of his father in 2011, there has been a determined effort by the new leader to make North Korea a nuclear power, and this has been met by steadily increasing sanctions from the United Nations,, European Union and the United States. Response from UN, EU, US and Others To date, the UN Security Council (UNSC) has passed nine rounds of sanctions against North Korea since its first nuclear test. The scope of UN sanctions has steadily increased, and now include: Prohibitions on trade in arms and military equipment, dual-use technology, and certain industrial machinery and metals; Asset freezes for individuals engaged in assisting North Korea’s nuclear program; A ban on export of a wide range of goods including coal, textiles, minerals, and certain food and agricultural products; A cap on export of oil and refined petroleum products and an outright ban on natural gas. The European Union has adopted in most part the UN sanctions, and also their own sanctions, including: a total ban on EU investment in North Korea, in all sectors; a total ban on the sale of refined petroleum products and crude oil to North Korea. The United States has also imposed unilateral sanctions on North Korea, which include asset freezes against a much larger list of individuals and businesses than UN sanctions. Like the UN, the US sanctions are targeted against development of missile and nuclear technology but are also in response to cyber-attacks against US companies purported to have been carried out by North Korea, The United States has targete