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. 

The countries decided to review a plan to swiftly establish an independent body to replace the expert panel. 

In the statement delivered by U.S. Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the countries said they must consider how to continue access to objective, independent analysis in order to address North Korea’s unlawful development of weapons of mass destruction(WMD) and ballistic missiles.

The UN panel was officially dissolved on Tuesday as the UNSC failed to renew the mandate for the panel on March 28 due to a veto by permanent council member Russia. 

The U.S. ambassador stressed that the sanctions on North Korea remain in effect, reiterating the Security Council’s consistent demand that the North comply with its obligations under multiple Security Council resolutions. 

Asked about a possible alternative to the disbanded panel, Thomas-Greenfield said that countries are considering various possibilities, and that the U.S. is working very closely with South Korea and Japan to propose ideas for the rest of member states to consider.