FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/TRADE DEALS/TREASURY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration on Friday [2-23-18] levied what it called its largest ever North Korea sanctions package, hitting dozens of shipping and trading companies as it seeks to further cut off foreign-currency revenues keeping the nuclear-armed regime afloat.
The administration sanctioned nearly 60 companies and ships and one individual it says are aiding North Korea in its efforts to evade an international ban on coal exports and fuel imports. Those efforts help leader Kim Jong Un maintain power as he pursues a intercontinental ballistic missile that can target America’s mainland.
Friday’s effort is part of a broader U.S. “maximum pressure campaign” meant to force Pyongyang to the negotiating table and persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons and long-range missiles. After a battery of ballistic missile tests by North Korea over the last two years, the U.S. has been able to prod the United Nations Security Council to ratchet up global sanctions against North Korea, banning much of the country’s trade…
As much as U.S. officials are touting the effectiveness of their sanctions campaign, U.S. intelligence officials have said Mr. Kim is so wedded to his nuclear weapons and missiles that he is unlikely to give them up.
Treasury also issued an alert about deceptive North Korean shipping practices, noting the example of the Kum Un San 3. The Wall Street Journal disclosed in January that the North Korean-flagged vessel had been photographed trying to hide its identity by painting over hits name and displaying a false name on its stern.”
-Ian Talley and Michael R. Gordon, “White House Unveils ‘Largest Ever’ Set of Sanctions on North Korea,” The Wall Street Journal online, Feb. 23, 2018 10:33am