South Korea announces symbolic, new sanctions on North Korea

In this Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016 photo provided by the United Nations, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon speaks during a Security Council meeting at UN headquarters. The council voted Wednesday to further tighten sanctions on North Korea in response to their fifth and largest nuclear test yet. “The Security Council has today taken strong action on one of the most enduring and pressing peace and security challenges of our time: the nuclear and ballistic missile activities of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. I welcome the unanimous adoption of this new resolution,” the Secretary General, who is South Korean, said, referring to North Korea by its full name. AP

SEOUL, South Korea — South Korea has announced a set of largely symbolic, additional sanctions on North Korea for the nuclear and missile tests it conducted this year.

Friday’s announcement came two days after the UN Security Council voted to tighten sanctions on North Korea. Pyongyang has warned of unspecified retaliation.

READ: UN Security Council hits N.Korea with toughest-ever sanctions

Seoul says it blacklisted dozens of new North Korean officials and entities by banning South Koreans from engaging in financial dealing with them.

A Seoul statement says it’ll sanction a China-based company for allegedly assisting financial activities by a North Korean bank sanctioned by the UN.

It’s unclear if the South Korean measures will sting North Korea. Inter-Korean trade and exchanges largely remain suspended and Pyongyang is already under multiple rounds of UN sanctions. The Chinese company has no assets in South Korea./rga