AS DELIVERED

Thank you, Mr. President.

The United States is pleased to renew the mandate of the 1718 Panel of Experts so that it can continue its important work to strengthen the DPRK sanctions regime.

The full and comprehensive implementation of the 1718 sanctions regime is critical to achieving the final, fully verified, denuclearization of the DPRK. As such, we call on all States to proactively engage the Panel to support its investigations of sanctions violations.

We also urge all States to fully implement all their obligations and work with other states to counter the DPRK’s increasingly sophisticated sanctions evasion trends, as reported by the panel in its latest report. We are very concerned that the DPRK continues to unlawfully obtain refined petroleum products unhindered in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea despite having exceeded this Council’s cap last year by more than seven times.

We are also concerned by the DPRK increasingly smuggling coal to sell in nearby countries in East Asia unhindered. All states, especially those in the Asia Pacific region, must enhance their vigilance and proactively counter the DPRK’s illicit activities occurring in and around their territorial waters using all authorities provided by the relevant resolutions.

Finally, we are concerned that in light of sanctions reducing the regime’s access to hard currency, the DPRK is expanding its global efforts to conduct cyber thefts to make up for its export revenue losses. We estimate that the DPRK could be earning hundreds of millions of dollars through these activities each year. All states are vulnerable to this increasing trend and must do more to protect themselves and prevent the DPRK from undermining this Council’s sanctions.

Thank you, Mr. President.

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