UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON: The UN Security Council neared agreement on Wednesday on Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) firms and individuals to be added to a blacklist for involvement in Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs, diplomats said.

The UN Security Council passed a resolution on June 12 that expanded UN sanctions against the DPRK in response to a nuclear test it carried out on May 25, and asked the committee to add more names to the sanctions list.

The committee in April placed two DPRK firms and a bank on the list in its first action in two years. That move followed a long-range rocket launch earlier in the month by Pyongyang.