The article is devoted to various aspects of economic sanctions, such as their content, goals, and reasons for their implementation, despite their relatively low effectiveness. The example of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea shows how the sanctions regime imposed to stop the national nuclear program is being implemented. The negative impact of the sanctions of the UN Security Council and the United States on the economic performance of North Korea has been analyzed. The counteraction tools used by North Korea have been identified. These tools have made it possible to maintain the pace and scale of the implementation of the nuclear and missile weapons program. On the example of North Korea, the impact mechanisms are considered and the impact of sanctions on the global trade regime as a whole is analyzed through the externalities that arise in this case. The externalities are internalized in the form of shadow institutions serving countries subject to sanctions pressure. It is concluded that the international regimes of economic cooperation are currently being destroyed. This has a negative impact on global public welfare and contributes to its reduction. The article will be of interest to specialists in international economic relations dealing with the development of mechanisms to counter Western sanctions.