South Korea and the U.K. have agreed to bolster monitoring of North Korea sanctions violations through “joint sea patrols,” a deal that experts say will inject “new energy” into efforts to enforce sanctions on the DPRK’s maritime smuggling.

According to a statement from the U.K. Ministry of Defense (MOD), South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will sign an accord Wednesday aimed at bolstering sanctions monitoring between the countries’ navies in the Indo-Pacific region.

“The U.K. is leading the way in supporting our Korean friends in countering North Korea’s aggressive posturing and ensuring the safety