U.S. Mulling More Sanctions on North

Regardless of Pyongyang’s additional provocations, the U.S. seems to be ready to impose another set of sanctions against Pyongyang unless Pyongyang returns to the six-party talks, says a high-ranking diplomatic source in Washington on July 18 (local time).

The source said, “The indications are that Washington is in the process of reviewing some dramatic steps at various levels against the communist regime. If North Korea stays out of the six-party talks, the U.S. will apply more pressure on the North in a bid to stifle the North in a couple of weeks.”

The U.S. government is allegedly in pursuit of a prohibition on money transmissions to the North, U.S. companies’ investment in Pyongyang, exports of general products to the North and an embargo on American flagged ships and planes to the North. On July 18, Stuart Levey, the U.S Treasury department’s undersecretary, met with Yoo Myung-hwan, the South Korean vice foreign minister, and explained Washington’s stance, saying, “High ranking officers in the Bush administration are thinking of more economic sanctions against North Korea which were lifted by the Clinton administration in 2000.”

After North Korea test-fired the Taepodong 1 missile in 1998, on the condition that the communist country held bilateral talks with the U.S. and put a moratorium on its missile launches, the U.S. lifted sanctions banning money transmissions and investment to Pyongyang in 2000.

Seung-Ryun Kim Myoung-Gun Lee srkim@donga.com gun43@donga.com