By Kang Hyun-kyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea will tighten control of luxury goods going to North Korea, including gold accessories, wine and fur products, in accordance with a U.S.-led resolution, the Ministry of Unification said Thursday.
The ministry introduced the stricter regulations, which will require items sent to the North to be approved in advance.
The measure will go into effect starting today to comply with the U.N. Security Council Resolution 1874, unanimously adopted by its member states in June to sanction the North after it conducted a second nuclear test and test-fired several missiles.
Other luxury items that are to be controlled include alcoholic goods, cosmetics, leather products, vehicles, ships and musical instruments, ministry officials said.
In addition to the goods, the ministry said goods on the list of the UNSC resolution 1718 would also be controlled.
Under the guidelines, all member states are required to prevent the direct or indirect supply or transfer of items such as tanks, armored vehicles and large caliber artillery to the North.
Resolution 1718 was adopted in 2006 in a response to the communist state's first nuclear test.
``The question of who will use the goods will be a core criteria in determining if particular products are to be allowed to be sent to the North. We will approve if South Koreans there use them or if the goods are needed for South Korean businesses' operations,'' a ministry spokesman said.
``But we won't approve items that are to be used by North Koreans,'' the spokesman said.