KJC Spokesman Hits U.S. for Justifying UNSC "Sanctions Resolutions" against DPRK

   Pyongyang, February 2 (KCNA) -- A spokesman for the Korean Jurists Committee gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA Thursday as regards the fact that the U.S. is letting out sophism to justify the UN Security Council's "sanctions resolutions" against the DPRK:
    All the anti-DPRK "sanctions resolutions", cooked up by the U.S. and its vassal forces so far by abusing the UN Security Council, have fully disclosed their illegality as they wantonly breached the legitimate right of a sovereign state and universally recognized international law.
    The blockade-oriented "sanctions resolutions" against the DPRK, in particular, have drawn international censure as they are unethical actions going against civilization, acts aimed at totally denying the DPRK people's rights to existence and development and wrecking modern civilization and pushing the Korean society into darkness in the medieval age.
    The "resolutions on sanctions" cooked up by the UN Security Council are devoid of legal ground and are in wanton violation of the legitimate rights of sovereign states and principles governing international relations provided for in the UN Charter. This was a conclusion drawn by the international judicial circle.
    When the U.S. worked out in 1966 "sanctions resolution" 232, the first of its kind in UN history, under the pretext of Article 39 of the UN Charter to avenge former Rhodesia which declared its independence from Britain, the international judicial circle clarified the illegality of the "resolution," citing paragraph by paragraph, and took issue with the UN Security Council's act of going beyond its mandate.
    Now the U.S. continues to cook up "resolutions" by abusing authority of the UN Security Council in defiance of universally recognized international law. In this regard, the DPRK requested the UN Secretariat to organize an international forum of law experts for clarifying the legal ground of those resolutions either in New York or in Geneva.
    But the U.S. let experts on Korean affairs who lack knowledge about international law still spout hackneyed sophism that the UNSC is entitled to take appropriate measures if an act of specified country is seen as a threat to peace under Article 39 of the UN Charter and that the UNSC can impose sanctions because other countries do not accept the DPRK's withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
    Article 39 of the UN Charter can not become a legal ground for the "sanctions resolution" as it provides for common authority of the UN Security Council, and no international law stipulates that nuclear test or satellite launch of a specified state constitutes threat to peace.
    Moreover, the DPRK's withdrawal from the NPT was legitimate as it went through necessary procedures under Article 10 of the treaty and there is no paragraph in the treaty that specifies that withdrawal has to be recognized by other countries.
    Flurry of sophism let out by so-called American experts on Korean affairs clearly proves the necessity of open discussion on legal grounds for "sanctions resolution" at an international forum of legal experts.
    The UN advocating abidance by international law and regulations has to fulfill its responsibility and mission before the international community by organizing a forum immediately, properly meeting the just demand of the DPRK.
    The Korean Jurists Committee hopes that the international community and legal organizations valuing justice and truth would positively respond to the DPRK's proposal for organizing an international forum for open discussion on the legal grounds for "sanctions resolution". -0