North Korea banned from exporting statues after nuclear test

The UN has responded to North Korea's fifth and largest nuclear test with new sanctions to slash its annual export revenues by 25%.

It follows negotiations between the US and China, a North Korea ally, after the rogue state exploded a warhead in September. The blast is said to have been bigger than that detonated at Hiroshima.

Measures the 15-member UN Security Council unanimously agreed upon include the slashing North Korea's biggest export, coal, by 60%, banning exports of copper, nickel, silver and zinc, and vetoing the sale of giant statues.

China is believed to be the only country that buys North Korean coal, importing 18.6 million tonnes in the first 10 months of 2016, up almost 13% from a year earlier, but it will now reduce purchases by some $700m (£561m).

Exports of coal will also be capped to the end of 2016 at $53.5m (£42.9m), or one million tonnes.

The Security Council also blacklisted 11 individuals and 10 entities, including people who have been ambassadors to Egypt and Myanmar, subjecting them to a travel ban and asset freeze for their role in the North Korea's missile programmes.

Prohibiting the sale of statues, mainly to African countries, would also cut tens of millions of dollars from Pyongyang's income, UN diplomats said.

Pyongyang Mansudae Art Studio, which reportedly employs some 1,000 artists, is one of the biggest production centres of its kind in the world, churning out political-propaganda murals, posters and bronze sculptures for sale all over the world.

The nuclear test conducted by North Korea on 9 September caused a 5.3-magnitude seismic event and alarmed South Korea, which described it as "maniacal recklessness".

Pyongyang said the success of the blast at the Pyunggye-ri nuclear test site meant it could produce "at will a variety of smaller, lighter and diversified nuclear warheads of higher strike power".

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