The U.S. Congress is seeking a fresh set of bilateral sanctions against North Korea, ratcheting up pressure on the communist state over its grim human rights record and the recent purported hack on Sony Pictures.
Sen. Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has proposed a bill calling for tightening sanctions on Pyongyang, similar to the one introduced by his House counterpart Rep. Ed Royce and passed by the chamber in July.
The two legislations are designed to make way for Washington to compile a list of North Korean officials responsible for rights breaches, and request President Barack Obama to consider adding North Korea to the State Department’s list of money-laundering centers.
Although both the bills are expected to be scrapped as the current Congress expires next week, at the same time, it may also signal Congress’ resolve to seek a comparable act in a bipartisan manner after the next legislative period opens on Jan. 3, observers say.
In the aftermath of the cyberattack on Sony, Royce signaled his willingness to reintroduce the bill next year. Sen. Bob Corker, who is set to succeed Menendez as the panel chief, is reportedly looking into the measure.
Any proposal for stronger North Korea sanctions could quickly garner support given the ongoing furor over the hacking incident. The Hollywood studio initially shelved the release of “The Interview,” a film with a plot to assassinate leader Kim Jong-un, in the face of Pyongyang’s cyberthreats, but opted for limited screenings in a dramatic about-face.
With both chambers controlled by the Republicans, they may also move to take stifling financial measures akin to secondary boycott sanctions imposed on Iran, which target non-U.S. businesses and individuals engaged in activities related to Tehran.
Royce has also raised the need for an asset freeze similar to a ban imposed in 2005 by Washington against Banco Delta Asia, a small, family-owned bank in Macau known as a money-laundering channel for the Kim dynasty.
The U.S. Treasury then froze about $25 million in the bank’s accounts traced to Pyongyang in a bid to help dry up resources for nuclear projects. It dealt a major blow to then leader Kim Jong-il, prompting the regime to reject to implement denuclearization pledges enshrined in the Sept. 19 statement drawn up at the six-nation talks.
Mendendez, for his part, called for North Korea to be put back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism in a recent letter to Secretary of State John Kerry.
Given the existing international sanctions and the North’s deepening isolation from the world financial network, however, some experts remain doubtful about the impact of further bans.
“Momentum could indeed pick up for strengthened sanctions for the time being, now that the Senate is dominated by the Republicans as is the House,” a diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.
“But putting them in place could be more complicated since they should look into various options and their possible impacts carefully.”
By Shin Hyon-hee (
heeshin@heraldcorp.com)
