South Korea and the U.S. are mulling a plan to restrict China’s exports of crude oil to North Korea at the U.N. Security Council(UNSC) level if Pyongyang conducts another nuclear test.
 
According to multiple diplomatic sources, the South Korea-U.S. diplomatic authorities share the perception that the UNSC needs to slap stronger sanctions on the regime if it goes ahead with a sixth nuclear test.
 
The two allies will consider working together to have the UNSC impose substantial restrictions on crude oil exports to the North as part of new punitive measures against its sixth nuclear test.
 
The top nuclear envoys of Seoul and Washington agreed during their meeting in Seoul last week that the two countries will coordinate efforts to strongly punish the North for additional provocations either through individual sanction measures or sanctions at the UNSC level.
 
North Korea relies on China for most of its crude oil imports, so a crude oil exports restriction will put significant pressure on China over the North Korean nuclear issue.
 
It is unclear whether Beijing will accept a crude oil restriction if the UNSC imposes it, but observers say even the launch of such efforts by South Korea and the U.S. will increase pressure on China. 

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