The United States, South Korea and 10 other countries, together with the European Union, reaffirmed their commitment to North Korea’s denuclearization on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, while supporting tighter enforcement of sanctions aimed at the country’s weapons financing, cyber operations and military cooperation with Russia.
The joint statement said the participating governments welcomed sanctions imposed during October by the United States, Australia and the European Union. Those measures were intended to disrupt North Korea’s efforts to generate revenue for its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, according to the statement.
A broad coalition backs sanctions enforcement
The statement was issued by South Korea, the United States, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Britain and the European Union. The governments also urged all United Nations member states to fully implement existing Security Council sanctions against North Korea, placing particular emphasis on the countries that hold permanent seats on the council.
The governments cited findings from the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team, or MSMT. The group has examined North Korea’s military cooperation with Russia, cyber-enabled schemes involving information-technology workers and the country’s overseas labor operations.
“The MSMT and EU reaffirm our commitment to the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the DPRK,” the joint statement said.
The DPRK is North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The monitoring team was created after a United Nations expert panel responsible for examining sanctions enforcement was disbanded in April 2024, when Russia vetoed a resolution that would have extended its mandate.
Measures target alleged IT-worker schemes
The MSMT consists of 11 countries, including South Korea, the United States, Japan, Australia and Canada. Its work has highlighted methods that North Korea allegedly uses to obtain funds and support for programs prohibited under international sanctions.
Earlier Wednesday, the U.S. Treasury Department announced sanctions against 10 individuals and one entity. Treasury accused them of facilitating North Korean IT-worker schemes that targeted American businesses and generated illicit revenue for Pyongyang’s weapons programs.
- 10 individuals and one entity were targeted in the U.S. Treasury announcement.
- The alleged IT-worker operations targeted American businesses.
- The joint statement also addressed North Korea’s cyber activity, overseas labor and military cooperation with Russia.
The latest statement links the sanctions effort to a wider multinational campaign rather than to a single national action. The participating governments said that monitoring and implementation remain necessary as North Korea seeks financing for its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
