In recent months, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) has committed flagrant violations of international law and United Nations Security Council resolutions by conducting nuclear tests and launching long-range ballistic missiles.
Just last Sunday, September 3, this conduct was repeated by North Korea, with a sixth nuclear detonation that was more powerful than the previous ones. North Korea’s nuclear activity poses a grave risk to international peace and security and is a growing threat to the nations of the region, including key allies of Mexico such as Japan and South Korea.
In response to North Korea’s conduct, the UN Security Council has issued resolutions prohibiting North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles and sanctioning any person or entity associated with these programs. In accordance with the UN Charter, these resolutions are binding upon all member countries, including Mexico.
Therefore, President Enrique Peña Nieto issued an executive order published today in the Official Gazette of the Federation instructing all government agencies to comply fully with the UN Security Council resolutions on North Korea.
The executive order publishes the sanctions lists of the United Nations Security Council and its subsidiary organs that identify the persons or entities subject to the sanctions regime imposed on North Korea since 2006.
Also today, the Mexican government declared Mr. Kim Hyong Gil, ambassador of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, persona non grata, giving him 72 hours to leave the country. With this diplomatic step, Mexico expresses to the North Korean government its categorical repudiation of its recent nuclear activity, which is an increasingly brazen violation of international law and which poses a serious threat to the Asian region and to the world.
Mexico reiterates its full support for the UN Security Council’s work to achieve the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and to ensure the maintenance of international peace and security, and urges it to act in a united manner to resolve the current crisis in a peaceful manner.