EU to impose new sanctions on North Korea

European Union member countries agreed Monday to consider imposing new sanctions on North Korea after it tested its first intercontinental ballistic missile.

Last month, the EU expanded its sanctions blacklist after North Korea launched a volley of surface-to-ship cruise missiles off its east coast.

EU foreign ministers met on Monday to condemn the July 4 intercontinental ballistic missile test launch as an “outright violation” of UN Security Council resolutions.

North Korea “is the country against which we (Europeans) have the most restrictive measures and we decided we will consider adopting further measures in full coordination with our international partners,” EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini told a press conference after the meeting.

EU sanctions against North Korea date back to 2006 and are part of international efforts to halt a nuclear and ballistic missile programme that experts say is intended to give Pyongyang the capability to hit the US mainland.

The foreign ministers also stressed the need for a diplomatic rather than a military solution and kept the door open to dialogue.

“Denuclearization of the Korean peninsula must be achieved through peaceful means. This excludes military action,” Mogherini said.