A Solution Is Sanctions: Curbing Nuclear Proliferation in North Korea (Perspectives‪)‬

There is no doubt that UN sanctions are among the most powerful tools that the international community can resort to in its quest to maintain international peace and security. Under Article 39 of the UN Charter, the Security Council is empowered to adopt enforcement measures in response to a threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression. Whether the Council would, in fact, take such action is contingent on whether it sees a particular situation as applicable to these criteria. When the Security Council met in a summit on January 31, 1992, a Presidential Statement was issued declaring that "[t]he proliferation of all weapons of mass destruction constitutes a threat to international peace and security." The members of the Council also committed themselves to working to prevent the spread of such weapons and to take appropriate action to that end. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]