North Korea faces U.N. sanctions

NEW YORK — The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to impose sanctions that target North Korea's missile and nuclear programs in response to its multiple missile tests this month.

North Korean Ambassador Pak Gil Yon immediately rejected the resolution and condemned it as a "despicable" attempt to isolate his country. He said the army would continue missile launches, and then walked out of the council chamber, foreshadowing more tense confrontations with the country.

The resolution requires that all U.N. member nations "exercise vigilance" to prevent any transfer to or from North Korea of missiles or materials that could be used in weapons of mass destruction. It also demands that North Korea suspend its missile program, re-establish its moratorium on missile launches, and return to six-party disarmament talks without preconditions.

"The council has acted swiftly and robustly in response to the reckless and condemnable act of the DPRK in launching the barrage of ballistic missiles," said Shintaro Abe, Japan's vice minister for foreign affairs, after the vote. North Korea's official name is the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

China and Russia finally backed the resolution after 11 days of wrangling and the use of an innovative mechanism to make the resolution mandatory without opening the door to military action. China had threatened a veto if the measure invoked Chapter 7 of the U.N. charter, which makes the resolution compulsory and allows the use of force to implement it.

But Britain and France proposed language that would make the resolution legally binding without using Chapter 7, saying the council was "acting under its special responsibility to maintain international peace and security." That language could become a new formula to finesse differences in future resolutions, notably on Iran and Sudan, where China and Russia oppose Chapter 7 authority.

China also had objected to voting for a resolution sponsored by Japan, its regional rival, but agreed to back a "presidential text" supported by all 15 members of the council, according to diplomats.

Despite international warnings, North Korea fired seven missiles on July 5 and 6, including a long range Tae-podong 2 missile with the theoretical potential to reach U.S. territory. The Tae-podong 2 fell into the Sea of Japan about 40 seconds after its launch. The missile tests alarmed Japan, which immediately called for punitive action by the Security Council.