S. Korea moves to enforce U.N. sanctions against the North

SEOUL — South Korea made its first concrete move Thursday to enforce U.N. sanctions imposed after North Korea’s nuclear test, saying it will deny entry to Pyongyang officials subject to a travel ban and will restrict financial transactions between the nations.

The United Nations resolution, passed in response to the North’s underground nuclear blast Oct. 9, seeks to ban the country’s weapons trade and calls for North Korean ships to be searched for suspected illegal materials. The resolution asks all member countries to state how they plan to implement the sanctions within 30 days of its Oct. 14 adoption.

Unification Minister Lee Jong-seok said Seoul would ban some North Korean officials from traveling to the South and scrutinize transactions and remittances related to interKorean trade and investment with Pyongyang, the South’s Yonhap news agency reported.

It was unclear how tough the South will be in enforcing the restrictions. Seoul had been hesitant to take strong measures in support of the sanctions, mindful of North Korea’s massive armed forces poised at the border, the family and cultural ties between the nations, and its wish to expand economic relations with the North.

Also at issue was whether South Korea would expand its participation in a U.S.-led drive to interdict North Korean ships and aircraft suspected of carrying weapons of mass destruction or related material.

South Korea has been reluctant to participate fully in the Proliferation Security Initiative because of concerns it could lead to clashes with North Korea and undermine efforts to persuade the communist state to give up its nuclear ambitions through diplomacy.

Meanwhile, a South Korean Defense Ministry report underscored the lingering threat posed by the North, saying the regime is believed to have enough plutonium to make as many as seven nuclear bombs.

The North is also working to make a small, lightweight nuclear warhead that can be carried by ballistic missile, according to the report released by an opposition lawmaker.

The report was based on a meeting of top military officials a day after the North’s test.

The report says the North is believed to have extracted 110 pounds of high-grade plutonium, enough for up to seven nuclear weapons.

The North can use its Russian-made bombers to drop the bombs, the ministry said.

North Korea also has built a nuclear warhead weighing about 2 to 3 tons. To be mounted on a missile, the warhead would need to be less than a ton, the ministry said.