International sanctions on North Korea are not working and serve only to strengthen the regime of Kim Jong-Un, the Philippine defence minister said on Tuesday.

The United States, which has a longstanding defence pact with the Philippines, has led a drive at the UN Security Council to impose tough sanctions against the North for its nuclear and ballistic missile tests.

The threat from Pyongyang's programme was a major topic at a two-day meeting of Southeast Asian defence chiefs and their partners hosted by the Philippines.

"Sanctions (are) not working but still strengthening the hand of Mr Kim Jong-Un," Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told reporters, as he gave his own assessment on the issue after leading the meetings.

"It feeds on his fears of being invaded also and so he rallies his people to fight against invaders, to 'support me'. Instead of weakening him, it is strengthening his hold on his people."

The North has for decades been developing atomic weapons and the missiles to deliver them and says it needs them to counter a US nuclear threat.

After a flurry of missile launches by the North and its sixth nuclear test last month, the UN imposed fresh sanctions that included bans or restrictions on the export of coal, iron ore and seafood by Pyongyang.

US President Donald Trump has also engaged in an escalating war of words with Kim, trading personal insults and threatening to "totally destroy" his country if it threatens the United States.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis and his counterparts from South Korea and Japan vowed to step up diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang, saying its weapons programmes pose "an unprecedented and grave threat" to the region.

Mattis met the ministers on Monday as part of an Asian trip that will see him visiting Seoul for annual defence talks -- ahead of a visit to Asia by Trump.

North Korea was "slowly being isolated" but major powers should rethink their approach, said Lorenzana.

"I think some of the major players in that area -- the US, China and Russia -- will have to come up with another approach to reach out to North Korea," he said.

Tweet

Abe aims at N. Korea after storming to 'super-majority' vote win
Tokyo (AFP) Oct 23, 2017
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe pledged Monday to work with the US, China and Russia to contain North Korea's nuclear threat with "strong, resolute diplomacy", as he "humbly" accepted his landslide victory in a snap election. Fresh from clinching a two-thirds "super-majority" that enables the nationalist premier to realise his dream of revising Japan's pacifist constitution, Abe vowed t ... read more

Related Links
Learn about nuclear weapons doctrine and defense at SpaceWar.com
Learn about missile defense at SpaceWar.com
All about missiles at SpaceWar.com
Learn about the Superpowers of the 21st Century at SpaceWar.com

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only