South Korea says UN curbs send strong message to Pyongyang

South Korean President Park Geun-hye on Thursday welcomed tough new UN sanctions on North Korea, saying they sent a powerful message to Pyongyang to discard its nuclear weapons ambitions.

“I sincerely hope that the North will now abandon its nuclear development programme and embark on a path of change,” said Ms Park, who has taken an increasingly hardline stance with Pyongyang following its nuclear test in January and last month’s long-range rocket launch.

The new measures send “a strong message from the international community seeking peace on the Korean Peninsula and around the world,” Ms Park added.

Russia expressed hope Thursday that North Korea would “draw the right conclusions” and resume talks after the United Nations adopted the toughest sanctions to date on Pyongyang over its fourth nuclear test and rocket launch.

“We are hoping that the North Korean side will take this decision in an adequate manner, draw the right conclusions and return to the negotiating table to settle the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula,” the foreign ministry said.