North Korea nuclear test invites further European sanctions
South Korean activists shout slogans behind an effigy of North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un during a rally denouncing North Korea’s nuclear test, in Seoul on February 13, 2013.
The European Union will introduce further sanctions against North Korea on Monday as the fallout from that country’s nuclear test earlier this week continues.
The measure comes as reports surfaced that North Korea plans to conduct “one or even two more tests” this year to force the United States into nuclear negotiations, according to Reuters.
The EU promised to limit NKorea’s trade in gold, diamonds, prevent its banks from conducting business in Europe and ban trade of components that could be used to make weapons, Reuters reported.
The new restrictions are in addition to existing measures against the North.
European diplomats working in the capital Pyongyang have also said they will boycott Saturday’s celebrations marking deceased leader Kim Jong-Il’s birthday, according to Reuters.
In response to the threat of further tests, the US government warned North Korea against making “additional provocative actions.”
The US House of Representatives also passed a motion today condemning the test, CBS News reported.
More from GlobalPost: For US, North Korea’s nukes are a red line
“This test, which is the third time that North Korea has exploded a nuclear device, is a stark reminder that (leader) Kim Jong Un is determined to develop his nuclear arsenal while depriving North Koreans of their most basic human rights,” said the bill’s sponsor, Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif).
The bill passed 412-2.
North Korea held its third nuclear test on Tuesday. So far, its Asian neighbors have yet to find any radioactive samples, The Associated Press said.
Tests would reveal if North Korea used enriched uranium or plutonium. If they used uranium to create the nuclear device, it would prove the program has advanced, the AP said.
South Korea, China and Japan are monitoring though air, water or land.
More from GlobalPost: Kim Jong Un in shadow of “Dear Leader?”
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