US Could Target North Korean Trade Allies with Sanctions

This month, United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that the US is considering sanctions on countries that do illegal business with North Korea stating that the White House would soon have to decide whether to impose “secondary sanctions” on those nations.

Mr Tillerson’s warning came during a hearing at the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday 13 June during which he stated, “we are in a stage where we are moving into this next effort of ‘Are we going to have to, in effect, start taking secondary sanctions because countries we have provided information to have not, or are unwilling, or don’t have the ability to do that?’” While Mr Tillerson did not name any countries, Washington currently has no trade links with North Korea, and it has been considering sanctioning companies from third countries who deal with the secretive regime of Kim Jong-un in violation of UN resolution. Mr Tillerson did however disclosed that the North Korea issue would be discussed with China, which is Pyongyang’s major ally, during high-level talks this week. Asked whether China has been fulfilling its pledges to put more pressure on North Korea, Mr Tillerson responded by stating that “they have taken steps, visible steps that we can confirm.”

The Trump administration has sought to increase pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile activities. Pyongyang’s recent missile tests, which are banned by the United Nations, have sparked international alarm. It is believed that North Korea is making progress towards developing a ballistic missile that is capable of reaching the US.