President Trump said Monday that he will designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move designed to further isolate the nation for its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
President Trump said Monday that he will designate North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move designed to further isolate the nation for its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Trump said the move will impose further penalties on Pyongyang and result in the “highest level” of sanctions ever placed on the country. He added that the designation will be formalized Tuesday.
Trump said the decision “should have happened years ago” and will ramp up pressure on the “murderous regime” to “end its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile development.”
The decision returns North Korea to a list it was removed from in 2008 to ease nuclear talks with the George W. Bush administration.
Trump’s announcement comes days after his return from a five-nation tour of Asia, which focused on curbing Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.
National security adviser H. R. McMaster told reporters earlier this month that the killing of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother at a Malaysian airport played into the decision. The half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, was killed with a banned nerve agent.
North Korea will join Iran, Sudan and Syria on the State Department’s list of terror sponsors.
The designation allows the U. S. to cut off foreign assistance, weapons sales, commercial exports and financial transactions with Pyongyang.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson Rex Wayne TillersonWhite House: Trump will not meet formally with Putin Trump meeting with Putin expected to take place Friday: report Flake: ‚Conspiracy theorist‘ Flynn never belonged as national security adviser MORE conceded the “practical effects may be limited” because Pyongyang is already heavily sanctioned by the U.
