A senior U.S. lawmaker is urging for a review of U.N. sanctions on North Korea following reports that the communist country has built a new uranium enrichment facility.

Senator John Kerry said that the U.N. needs to review the effectiveness of its current sanctions in discouraging North Korea from pursuing its nuclear ambitions.

The chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations stressed the importance of the role China can play in strengthening international sanctions on North Korea, since China is a long-time ally of the North and is its largest trading partner.

He added that discussions on the reopening of the six-party nuclear talks should continue despite the latest reports.

Kerry called on the U.S. to pursue a more comprehensive approach toward North Korea.