Trump Announces Harsh New Sanctions Against North Korea
Mark Landler
The New York Times

WASHINGTON — President Trump announced harsh new shipping sanctions against North Korea on Friday — a clear signal, near the end of an Olympic Games marked by a rapprochement on the Korean Peninsula, that his pressure campaign against Pyongyang will not let up.

“Today, I am announcing that we are launching the largest-ever set of new sanctions on the North Korean regime,” Mr. Trump was set to say to the Conservative Political Action Conference, according to excerpts of his remarks released by the White House.

The measures target 27 shipping companies and 28 vessels, registered in North Korea and six other countries, including China. The Treasury Department said the shipping firms are part of a sophisticated campaign to help North Korea evade United Nations sanctions restricting imports of refined fuel and exports of coal.

Illicit ship-to-ship transfers of oil and coal on the high seas have allowed North Korea to avoid the worst of the pressure from sanctions against its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. The smuggling has been linked to China and Russia, increasing tensions with the United States.

Still, it was not clear how successfully the United States could enforce the new measures. Cutting off the illegal trade, analysts said, will require interdicting ships at sea, and North Korea could well regard a blockade or forced inspections of its vessels as an act of war.

The timing of Mr. Trump’s announcement was notable, coming just hours after South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in, played host at dinner to Mr. Trump’s daughter, Ivanka, who is leading the United States delegation to the closing ceremony of the games on Sunday.

Under Mr. Moon’s liberal government, South Korea has begun engaging with the North. That has caused strain with the Trump administration, which had long ruled out any discussions with the government of Kim Jong-un until it curbed its nuclear and missile tests.

At Mr. Moon’s prodding, the White House now says it would be open to preliminary talks with North Korea. But the administration’s messages on North Korea are often contradictory, veering from openness to a hard line.

Vice President Mike Pence foreshadowed these sanctions during a stop in Japan two weeks ago before he visited the games in Pyeongchang, South Korea. He warned they would be the toughest yet, using the announcement to blunt a charm offensive by North Korea at the games.

“We will not allow North Korean propaganda to hijack the message and imagery of the Olympic Games,” Mr. Pence said at the time. “We will not allow North Korea to hide behind the Olympic banner the reality that they enslave their people and threaten the wider region.”

The Treasury Department released satellite photographs of an alleged ship-to-ship transfer involving a North Korean and a Panamanian vessel. The identity of the North Korean ship had been disguised.

In addition to China, the department sanctioned ships from Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, the Marshall Islands, Tanzania, Panama and Comoros. It did not blacklist ships or companies from Russia, even though Russia is suspected of supporting the illicit trade.

A senior administration official said the United States had raised concerns about smuggling with Russia and had previously designated Russian entities with links to North Korea.