BRUSSELS, Feb. 27 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) on Monday imposed further sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in response to the country's recent test-firing of a ballistic missile.
The Council of the EU announced in a statement that it had adopted legal acts imposing further restrictive measures against the DPRK, including transactions in coal, iron, and iron ore, and a ban on imports of copper, nickel, silver, zinc as well as statues from the Northeast Asian country.
The measures also include a ban on exports of new helicopters and vessels to the DPRK.
Pursuant to the legal acts, EU member states should take further measures to prevent specialized teaching or training of DPRK nationals in disciplines which would contribute to the DPRK's nuclear or ballistic-missile programs, according to the statement.
Moreover, EU member states are required to suspend scientific and technical cooperation involving people or groups officially sponsored by or representing the DPRK except for medical exchanges.
The DPRK said it had successfully test-fired Pukguksong-2, a surface-to-surface medium and long-range ballistic missile, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The Feb. 12 test launch caused an outcry among the international community. The EU slammed the "provocative and unacceptable" move as yet another violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.
Restrictive measures by the EU against the DPRK were introduced in December 2006, in the wake of the country's first nuclear test in October of that year.
