This is the first part of a two-part series on North Korea’s legal claims against recent UNSC sanctions.

The DPRK has criticized the UN sanctions against it as “illegal” and “unjust.” This is important to Pyongyang, which is increasingly developing this criticism into a diplomatic (and domestic) campaign and narrative.

As a diplomatic campaign, the DPRK’s argument is also of broader policy interest as an example of how small, “victim” states negotiate power and law in the international arena, and ties into ongoing debates about potential UNSC reform.

This two-part article