The U.N. Security Council would “almost automatically” adopt an even stricter resolution if Pyongyang carries out an additional provocation through a nuclear or missile test, South Korea’s top envoy to the U.N. warned Thursday.

Ambassador Oh Joon also touted the newly introduced U.S. standalone sanctions on the communist state, which penalizes “any person,” including those of third-country nationalities, for engaging in the state’s nuclear, missile and other banned activities. He said these would help “complete an effective North Korean sanctions regime.”

“Should there be an additional nuclear test or long-range missile launch-class provocation, it will automatically be referred to the UNSC in line with the existing so-called trigger clause, and I believe it would almost automatically adopt a resolution further tightening sanctions,” Oh said at a news conference at the Foreign Ministry headquarters in Seoul.

“I cannot presuppose how it will strengthen the rules, but during the negotiation process in the lead up to the latest resolution, some parts were somewhat toned down compared with the initial intention, so it could be possible to step back up on them.”

The Kim Jong-un regime has in recent weeks been ratcheting up tension since the council passed a fresh set of toughest-ever measures and South Korea-U.S. joint military drills kicked off early this month. It has threatened another atomic and long-range rocket experiment “in a short time,” claiming it has mastered missile reentry and warhead miniaturization technologies.

“As shown in the cases of other nations that have most recently developed nuclear weapons through about five rounds of nuclear tests, the North is nearing the threshold for being capable of carrying the bomb on a missile,” the envoy noted.

“The North is believed to have so far injected some $4 billion in its nuclear and missile programs. It should now stop it and spend the funds on improving its people’s livelihoods and human rights instead.”

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)