South Korea's First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun speaks during a press briefing at the ministry's headquarters in Seoul, Wednesday, announcing the launch of the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team on North Korea. Yonhap

A new multinational monitoring body to oversee the enforcement of sanctions against North Korea has been launched, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced Wednesday. This development follows the dissolution of a U.N. monitoring body six months ago due to a veto from Russia.

The new mechanism, called the Multilateral Sanctions Monitoring Team (MSMT), aims to ensure accurate and ongoing reporting on the implementation of sanctions against Pyongyang, according to the ministry. This initiative comes as the reclusive regime continues to evade sanctions through its illicit nuclear program and weapons trade.

The MSMT consists of 11 countries, including South Korea, the United States, and Japan, France, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

The new monitoring body serves as an alternative to the U.N. Panel of Experts on North Korea, which was disbanded in April. Unlike its predecessor, the MSMT operates outside the U.N. framework and thus does not report directly to the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).

"Our government will closely cooperate with participating countries to ensure that the MSMT will serve as a major monitoring mechanism to enforce UNSC sanctions on North Korea," said First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun, announcing the launch of the framework at a press briefing.

"The MSMT is open to additional participation by other countries that are committed to the robust implementation of the sanctions," he added.

The event was attended by his counterparts from the U.S. and Japan, as well as the ambassadors of the participating nations in South Korea.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell said, "Despite the panel's demise, all DPRK related UN Security Council resolutions remain in effect, and all U.N. member states are required to implement all of them... We look forward to continue momentum and close collaboration as we take steps to move beyond Russia's veto and reinstate high quality public reporting on DPRK sanctions' non-compliance."

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

According to the foreign ministry, the primary function of the MSMT is to continuously monitor violations and evasion activities related to UNSC sanctions against North Korea, similar to the previous U.N. Panel of Experts, and to publish reports on these activities.

However, it remains unclear whether the monitoring body will issue an annual report, as the expert panel did.

"The fact that it is outside the U.N. organization allows it to overcome the limitations of previous panel of experts reports, as it is free from the dynamics within the U.N. Security Council that sometimes limited the panel's activities," a ministry official said during a closed-door briefing.

North Korean students sign up to volunteer for military duty in this photo carried by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency, Wednesday, which claimed that more than 1.4 million young people across the country expressed willingness to join the armed forces between Monday and Tuesday. Yonhap

In a joint statement, the MSMT participating nations said, "The goal of the new mechanism is to assist the full implementation of UN sanctions on the DPRK by publishing information based on rigorous inquiry into sanctions violations and evasions attempts."

The UNSC expert panel, which had overseen sanctions enforcements against North Korea since 2009, expired at the end of April after Russia vetoed the annual renewal of the panel's mandate in March. China abstained.

Seoul, Washington, and Tokyo have since been actively discussing the establishment of an alternative monitoring body with like-minded nations.

The launch of the MSMT apparently did not involve discussions with Russia or China, as officials in the U.S. have previously stated that these two countries would be reluctant to support the agenda.

South Korea and its allies have speculated that Russia has already violated multiple international sanctions on North Korea through arms transactions, which intensified following a major military agreement signed with Pyongyang in June.

From left, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, South Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun and Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano attend a joint press conference following their meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Seoul, Wednesday. Yonhap

On the same day, the vice foreign ministers of South Korea, U.S., and Japan held a three-way meeting in Seoul, where they discussed ways to step up coordination in response to North Korea's provocations and other pending issues in the region.

The three officials also agreed to work together to convene a summit within this year gathering the leaders of the three countries.

"We discussed the escalating threats posed by North Korea's illicit missile and nuclear program development, its attempts to undermine inter-Korean relations, and the North's assertions regarding drone incursions. We agreed to coordinate a strong response to any provocation from the North," Kim said during a joint press conference held after the meeting.

"I'd like to underscore that the U.S.' position on the future of the Korean Peninsula strongly aligns with that of the ROK, we support the ultimate peaceful reunification of the Korean Peninsula with the consent and support of all its citizens," Campbell said, referring South Korea to its official name, the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Masataka Okano expressed concerns that North Korea's recent military provocations pose serious challenges to the region and the international community.

The trilateral meeting came amid heightened inter-Korean tensions.

Pyongyang blew up the northern sections of two inter-Korean roads, the Gyeongui and Donghae roads, Tuesday, following its earlier announcement to sever all roads and railways linked to South Korea and reinforce its border.

On Sunday, North Korea ordered its artillery units along the border to be fully prepared to open fire, citing threats from alleged South Korean drone incursions. The reclusive regime has accused South Korean drones of dropping anti-Pyongyang leaflets over its capital on three separate occasions earlier this month, a claim that the South Korean military has stated it cannot verify.

Russia called the alleged drone incursion "a gross violation of North Korea's sovereignty" and reaffirmed its commitment to provide military assistance to Pyongyang if the country comes under attack, as per the military treaty signed in June.