The Impact of UN Sanctions on North Korea's Luxury Goods Imports

Comment on “United Nations Sanctions on North Korea's Luxury Goods Imports: Impact and Implications”

“…Jeong () is a unique study in that it takes the embargo on imports of luxury goods as its specific focus for examining the effects of UN sanctions against North Korea. Previous studies examining the effects of the luxury goods embargo include Noland (), who focuses on North Korea's trade with China and South Korea immediately after the 2006 sanctions resolution that followed North Korea's first nuclear test.…”

“…Jeong () persuasively argues that provisions enforcing transparency on sanctioning countries must be strengthened. Nevertheless, the fact remains that UN economic sanctions have limitations from the outset.…”

“…In this sense, Jeong () is right to stress the need for the UN Security Council to devise more intelligent sanction measures, coupled with negotiations to positively alter North Korea's behavior. Economic sanctions alone are not necessarily sufficient to achieve political aims and often only become effective when combined with other political measures.…”

Comment on “United Nations Sanctions on North Korea's Luxury Goods Imports: Impact and Implications”

“…Jeong () investigates the effectiveness of the United Nations Security Council's (UNSC) economic sanctions against North Korea, focusing on the embargo of luxury goods exports into North Korea from 2006 onward. Jeong's interest is especially on the effects of Resolution 1718 adopted by the UNSC on October 14, 2006.…”

“…The contribution of Jeong (), which presents empirical facts as to whether UN sanctions are really reducing North Korea's luxury goods imports, is appreciated, but its analytical framework seems to have room for improvement and extension. First and foremost, we should be aware of the fact that the Resolution 1718 embargo substantially takes the form of a unilateral (or preferential) rather than a multilateral (or common) export prohibition.…”