Taiwan sanctions N. Korea for nuke test

SEOUL, Sept. 20 (Yonhap) -- The Taiwanese government has banned the exports of oil products to and imports of textiles from North Korea in compliance with the latest U.N. Security Council resolution against the North's sixth nuclear test, although it is not a U.N. member nation, a U.S. broadcaster reported Wednesday.

On Tuesday, Taiwan's economic affairs ministry announced its independent sanctions against Pyongyang, which include complete bans on exports of liquefied natural gas, crude and refined oil, and on the imports of North Korean textiles, one of the key sources of hard currency for the Kim Jong-un regime, Radio Free Asia said.

Following the North's most powerful nuclear test Sept. 3, the UNSC adopted Resolution 2375 last week to apply fresh sanctions on the regime, targeting oil, textiles and overseas North Korean workers.

In announcing the punitive measures, the Taiwanese ministry condemned North Korea for putting the regional security at risk by continuing nuclear and ballistic missile tests, the broadcaster said.

Taiwan has been a major trading partner for the North, but their trade dived 97 percent to US$293,000 in the first quarter of the year from a year ago, the broadcaster added.

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