The international sanctions regime against the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea, DPRK) is the strongest and most comprehensive set of sanctions currently in effect against any one country. It is composed of United Nations Security Council sanctions, ‘autonomous’ European Union (EU) sanctions and unilateral sanctions imposed by a host of other states including, most notably, the United States. The sanctions regime aims not only to halt the nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programmes of North Korea but also to stop its human rights violations and cyberattacks. The autonomous sanctions imposed by the EU go beyond the UN sanctions and constitute a crucial element of the sanctions regime. However, despite the broad scope of its sanctions, the size of its economy and its aspirations to project influence in North East Asia, the EU has had little impact on developments on the Korean peninsula.