Obama slaps new sanctions on DPRK after tests
President Barack Obama imposed sweeping new sanctions on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on March 16 intended to further isolate the country's leadership after recent actions by Pyongyang that have been seen by Washington and its allies as provocative.
The executive order freezes any property of the DPRK's government in the United States and prohibits exportation of goods from the United States to the DPRK.
It also allows the US government to blacklist any individuals, whether or not they are US citizens, who deal with major sectors of the DPRK's economy. Experts said the measures vastly expanded the US blockade against Pyongyang.
The DPRK conducted a nuclear test on January 6, and a February 7 rocket launch that the United States and its allies said employed banned ballistic missile technology. Pyongyang said it was a peaceful satellite launch.
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"The US and the global community will not tolerate the DPRK's illicit nuclear and ballistic missile activities, and we will continue to impose costs on the DPRK until it comes into compliance with its international obligations," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said.
Despite decades of tensions, the United States has not had a comprehensive trade ban against the DPRK of the kind enacted against Myanmar and Iran. Americans were allowed to make limited sales to the DPRK, although in practice such trade was tiny.
