S. Korean envoy accuses Russia of undermining UNSC credibility by its veto against U.N. panel

South Korea's top envoy in the United States rebuked Russia Tuesday for its recent veto of a resolution to extend the mandate of a U.N. panel monitoring the enforcement of anti-North Korean sanctions, stressing the move undercut the credibility of the U.N. Security Council (UNSC). Speaking in a press meeting, Ambassador Cho Hyun-dong expressed "deep regret" over the veto in a UNSC vote on Thursday. Absent the resolution's passage, the panel is set to expire on April 30 in a loss of a key platform to help ensure global compliance with anti-North Korea sanctions. "(Russia) did an irresponsible act that undermines the U.N. sanctions regime, which Russia itself has backed, and the international credibility of the UNSC," Cho told reporters. The ambassador stressed that Moscow's veto is an example of the close alignment between the North and Russia having a negative impact not only on security on the Korean Peninsula and beyond, but also on the U.N. and the international non-proliferation regime. "Our governme nt will continue to closely cooperate with the international community through the rigorous implementation of the sanctions against North Korea and each country's respective standalone sanctions measures," he said. "In this process, we will continue watertight cooperation with the United States." Cho also "strongly" urged Russia to stop military cooperation with the North, which runs afoul of UNSC sanctions, and fulfill its obligations as a permanent UNSC member. In the lead-up to last week's UNSC vote on the panel's mandate, Russia was said to have proposed a "sunset clause" for sanctions against Pyongyang -- a demand apparently unacceptable to Seoul, Washington, Tokyo and other UNSC members. The sunset clause would have left anti-Pyongyang sanctions in effect only for a certain period of time unless there was a UNSC agreement to keep them in place for another agreed-upon period. Cho also highlighted that Seoul and Washington have been continuing efforts to further strengthen "extended deterrence" to pre vent the North's "misjudgment" and block the North's use of nuclear weapons and missiles and conventional provocations. Extended deterrence refers to the U.S.' commitment to using the full range of its military capabilities, including nuclear, to defend its ally. Source: Yonhap News Agency