TRUMP’S ‘HARSHEST’ SANCTIONS ON NORTH KOREA
▶ ‘Maximum pressure’ on regime despite South’s diplomatic push
United States president Donald Trump claims his sanctions against North Korea’s shipping assets are the toughest yet, not just applied to Pyongyang but any country.
Mr Trump used a speech to conservatives near Washington DC on Friday to step up his campaign of “maximum pressure” against North Korea’s weapons programmes.
“We imposed today the heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country before,” he said.
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said the sanctions were aimed at all of the North’s shipping.
Sarah Sanders, White House spokeswoman, on a visit to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, yesterday, said: “Hopefully we’ll see a change on the part of the North Koreans to start to denuclearise the peninsula.
“That’s what our focus is. I can tell you the president won’t make the mistakes the previous administration has and be soft or weak.”
Mr Trump’s government is locked in a nuclear stand-off with North Korea, which is trying to develop missiles capable of delivering an atomic weapon to US cities.
The sanctions aim to put pressure on the communist state’s precarious economy and fuel supply.
Mr Trump had been expected to provide further details of the measures targeting “56 vessels, shipping companies and trade businesses”, but did not.
“Frankly, hopefully something positive can happen,” he said. Speaking alongside Australian prime minister Malcolm Turnbull, he said sanctions were only the first step. “If the sanctions don’t work, we’ll have to go to phase two. Phase two may be a very rough thing.”
Mr Mnuchin said there were signs the punitive measures were starting to have an impact. The North Korean military and broader economy depend heavily on imports of coal and oil from China and Russia.
China, Pyongyang’s only major ally, has steadfastly rebuffed Washington’s calls for a full oil embargo, fearing the chaotic collapse of the Pyongyang regime, but has accepted caps agreed at the UN.
The timing of the new US measures coincides with the arrival in South Korea of Mr Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, who is attending the Winter Olympics closing ceremony.
The businesswoman, 36, now an aide to her father, has been given the task of reaffirming US relations with South Korea, which have been strained over ways to deal with the North.
Ms Trump was hosted in Seoul by President Moon Jaein, who has long advocated talks rather than confrontation with North Korea.
“Ms Trump delivered a personal message to president Moon from president Trump about today’s North Korea-related sanctions announcement at a small meeting at the Blue House,” the White House said.
“They also discussed the continued effort on the joint maximum pressure campaign against North Korea.”
South Korea is well within range of conventional North Korea artillery, and officials have been unnerved by Mr Trump’s talk of military confrontation. But US officials worry that North Korea is luring president Moon into talks that are designed to go nowhere.
North Korea’s delegation at the closing ceremony will be led by general Kim Yong-chol, who is widely blamed for a series of attacks against the South, including the 2010 sinking of a warship in which 46 people died.
Ms Sanders said Ms Trump would probably sit apart from the North Korean delegation at today’s closing ceremony.