European Council widens sanctions against North Korea

The European Council, which  defines the general political direction and priorities of the European Union, has widened its North Korea sanctions of asset freezes and travel bans to cover nine more people and four entities.

The move brings the EU in line with new United Nations sanctions which currently affect 62 people and 50 entities, the council said in a statement. Separate European sanctions are in place against 41 people and seven entities.

"This resolution was adopted on August 5, 2017 in response to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK)'s ongoing nuclear-weapon and ballistic missile-development activities, in violation and flagrant disregard of previous UN Security Council resolutions," the European Council said.

Nuclear-armed North Korea said on Thursday it plans to send four missiles over Japan and towards the US territory of Guam, raising the stakes in a stand-off with US President Donald Trump and mocking him as "bereft of reason".  

Trump said earlier this week that North Korea  faced "fire and fury like the world has never seen".

France praised on Wednesday Trump's "determination" over North Korea's weapons programmes, AFP reported, citing government spokesman Christophe Castaner. 

The European Council first adopted UN measures against North Korea in 2006.

(AFP and Alistair Holloway)