US, South Korea, Japan unveil new team

SEOUL: The United States, South Korea and Japan on Wednesday announced the launch of a new multinational team to monitor the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea. The mechanism, named the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, has been introduced after Russia in March rejected the annual renewal of a UN panel of experts that had, over the past 15 years, overseen the implementation of sanctions aimed at curbing North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes. The team is meant to continue the UN panel's work, including issuing regular reports on sanctions enforcement, and will involve the participation of eight other countries including Britain, France and Germany, a South Korean official said. Its launch was unveiled at a joint press conference in Seoul by US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, South Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Japan's Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano, alongside ambassadors of the eight countries, ahead of their talks in Seoul. — Reuters