Trump administration mounts pressure on NK
The U.S. administration is stepping up sanctions on North Korea amid a tedious deadlock in denuclearization talks following the June 12 summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore.
The U.S. Department of Treasury blacklisted Chinese and Russian firms for their alleged illicit business ties with North Korea. The latest sanctions from the department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced Wednesday targets China-based Dalian Sun Moon Star International Logistics Trading and its Singapore-based affiliate for facilitating "illicit shipments" to North Korea, including "exports of alcohol, tobacco and cigarette-related products." The sanctions also target Russia-based port service firm Profinet and its director general for providing port services to North Korean vessels on multiple occasions, including two sanctioned vessels Chon Myong 1 and Rye Song Gang 1, carrying refined oil products.
These sanctions came less than two weeks after the OFAC announced sanctions related to North Korea on Aug. 3, targeting a Russian bank and other agencies for engaging in illicit financial activities with the North.
The continued North Korea-related designations show that the Trump administration is committed to applying full-fledged sanctions until Pyongyang shows real progress on denuclearization. The sanctions were announced amid speculation that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's fourth visit to the country is imminent.
The piling on of sanctions from the U.S. puts President Moon Jae-in in an increasingly difficult position as he has been eager to step up inter-Korean cooperation. The latest sanctions against the Chinese and Russian firms were announced on the same day that Moon announced a bold roadmap for economic cooperation with the North during his national address to mark the 73rd anniversary of Liberation Day.
President Moon talked about his grand vision for building an Inter-Korean Economic Community with rail and road links. Moon and Kim are expected to hold a third summit in Pyongyang next month.
While the U.S. is continuing to press for sanctions against North Korea, Pyongyang has been urging South Korea not to follow the sanctions. The Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the ruling Workers'Party, said that inter-Korean relations cannot move forward if the South blindly supports international pressure through sanctions.
President Moon should listen to the rising concern that he may be too hasty about inter-Korean cooperation amid a deadlock in the denuclearization talks. He must remember that South Korea and the U.S. must maintain a unified response to issues related to North Korea.
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