Announcing unilateral South Korean sanctions in the wake of a North Korean nuclear test would not merely be symbolic but would help fill “gaps” in the U.N. sanctions regime, Seoul’s foreign ministry said Monday.

The statement came a week after Seoul publicized its intent to impose its own sanctions against the DPRK should Pyongyang carry out a seventh underground nuclear test as widely anticipated.

A foreign ministry official told reporters that the unilateral measures would have “three practical effects” — “filling in the gaps” in U.N. Security Council (UNSC) sanctions, “raising awareness” domestically about how sanctions affect economic activities” and