Anchor: Fifty UN members, including South Korea, the U.S. and Japan, have called for efforts to continue "objective” and “independent" monitoring of the enforcement of UN Security Council(UNSC) sanctions on North Korea after the termination of a related UN panel. The 50 countries made the call in a joint statement on Wednesday as the mandate for a UN expert panel tasked with monitoring the enforcement of Security Council sanctions on North Korea ended the previous day. 
Kim Bum-soo has more. 

Report: As the 1718 DPRK Sanctions Committee’s Panel of Experts(POE) was officially dissolved on Tuesday, Seoul, Washington and Tokyo are stepping up to find alternative ways to monitor violations of nuclear and ballistic missile sanctions on North Korea.

[Sound bite: US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield]
"The U.S. in coordination with Japan and the Republic of Korea would like to read a statement on behalf of 50 co-signers of this statement."

U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Wednesday introduced a joint statement to this end.

[Sound bite: US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield]
“Given the imperative for all member states to comply with relevant Security Council resolutions, and considering the expiration of the Panel, we must now consider how to continue access to this kind of objective, independent analysis in order to address the DPRK’s unlawful WMD and ballistic missile advancements.”

Composed of eight experts from member nations of the UN Security Council, the POE assisted the North Korea Sanctions Committee, investigating alleged violations and detailing its findings in biannual in-depth reports.

The UN Security Council, however, failed to renew the mandate of the panel due to Russia’s veto. 

[Sound bite: US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield]
“The use of the veto in this instance has deprived UN member states of vital information and guidance to implement the measures adopted by the Council and overseen by the 1718 Committee. The elimination of the Panel undermined the work of the Council.”

The veto came as Russia and North Korea began military cooperation amid Russia's war against Ukraine. 

In an interview with KBS last month, the U.S. ambassador said that Washington and its partners are considering setting up a new sanctions watchdog within the UN General Assembly, where a veto right cannot be exercised when two thirds of member states are in favor of adopting a resolution.  

Asked whether a new mechanism will be set up in the coming months, she said the partner countries are working very urgently.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.