The UN Security Council has blacklisted 27 ships and 21 shipping companies for aiding North Korea’s efforts to circumvent sanctions, reports the BBC.
The sanctions from the UN’s largest ever package of designated penalties against North Korea.
The measures were proposed last month by the US. The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, described the latest measures as a “clear sign that the international community was united” in its efforts to increase pressure on the North Korean regime.
Diplomats suggest that heightening sanctions on North Korea have been key to the leader Kim Jong-un’s decision to pause missile and nuclear tests in favour of talks.