The European Union said it has tightened its sanctions against North Korea in line with the latest resolution adopted by the United Nations Security Council over the communist country's nuclear and missile programs.

In a statement released Monday, the EU said it has completed transposing resolution 2397, adopted by the UNSC in December last year, into its law to strengthen restrictive measures against North Korea.

The tightened measures include a ban on exporting refined petroleum products of amounts exceeding 500,000 barrels per year to North Korea, as well as importing food and agricultural products, machinery and electrical equipment from the country, according to the statement.

The resolution also bans exporting industrial machinery and transportation vehicles to North Korea, and requires the repatriation of all North Korean workers abroad within 24 months. The workers' income is believed to be extorted by the Pyongyang regime to fund its weapons development.

"The EU has repeatedly expressed its expectation that the DPRK engage in a credible and meaningful dialogue aimed at pursuing the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," it said in the statement. The DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

The UNSC unanimously adopted resolution 2397 in response to North Korea's launch of a new intercontinental ballistic missile, the Hwasong-15, in November.

Despite international sanctions, North Korea has repeatedly vowed not to give up its nuclear program, viewing it as a deterrent against what it claims is Washington's hostile policy towards it. (Yonhap)