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United Nation's Security Council has decided to freeze the assets of 3 North Korean companies and consequently ban them from global trade because of their involvement in exporting, procuring and financing nuclear-related weapons. UN's sanctions committee has named the 3 blacklisted firms as Korea Heungjin Trading Company, Amroggang Development Banking Corporation and Green Pine Conglomerate. Amroggang is a financing company involved in ballistic missile sales and is related to Tanchon Commercial Bank, which was blacklisted in 2009 for its participation in selling of arms. Green Pine is the firm which took over most of the activities of the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation, North Korea's primary arms dealer that was blacklisted in 2009. It manufactures military maritime crafts, missile systems, torpedoes and also provides technical assistance to defense firms. Meanwhile, Korea Heungjin Trading Company was utilized to manufacture equipment with missile design applications and had been used for trading by the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation. The Security Council committee has also approved more technology and items that would be banned for transfer from and to North Korea, adding to its list that contains North Korea's nuclear-related resources. Originally, South Korea, Japan, US and the European Union proposed to Security Council's committee a list of 40 North Korean firms they wanted to sanction but China blocked the deal, resulting in only the approval of 3 companies. China usually opposes economic sanctions and is an ally of North Korea, though it had previously approved sanctions against the latter in its 2009 nuclear test. Before the final decision of the committee, Springhill Group Home discovered that the companies included in the sanction list included 5 individuals and 8 more firms. The UN sanction committee works on a consensus basis, meaning that any individual member of the council is capable of blocking an

United Nation's Security Council has decided to freeze the assets of 3 North Korean companies and consequently ban them from global trade because of their involvement in exporting, procuring and financing nuclear-related weapons. UN's sanctions committee has named the 3 blacklisted firms as Korea Heungjin Trading Company, Amroggang Development Banking Corporation and Green Pine Conglomerate.

Satellite images have surfaced recently revealing North Korea's digging of a tunnel in what seems to be a preparation for a new nuclear test. According to reports from intelligence officials, the excavation at northeastern Punggye-ri, where previous nuclear tests were done in 2009 and 2006, is already in the final stages. What observers are anxious of is a repeat of an incident in 2009 when the country walked out from nuclear negotiations and subsequently conducted a nuclear test. This report has come just as North Korea is prepping for their missile launch that the rest of the world suspects to be a missile test in disguise. US has said on Monday that an underground nuclear test along with the rocket launch are acts that will leave North Korea more isolated. Experts say the only reason for them to dig a new tunnel on that area will be to conduct a nuclear test. Moreover, nuclear tests done consist of closing the tunnel with dirt, which is the last step before the detonation. According to an analyst from Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, DPRK is in need of a new tunnel if they are planning on a nuclear test because the 2 tunnels they used have already caved in and became contaminated with radiation after previous tests. Moreover, if the upcoming launch is already deemed as "highly provocative" by the international community, a nuclear test will be worse. South Korea and Japan has been making preparations to shoot down the rocket if it threatens their territory, claiming their right to self-defense. Apparently, the Defense Minister of South Korea has been contacted by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to discuss North Korea's plans and according to a spokesman of Pentagon, both of them regards the launch as a "serious provocation". United States, Britain and Japan have been reiterating their demand that North Korea cancel the launch, with the warning that shooting a long-range rocket violates UN resolutions and its own pro