Seoul, Washington, Tokyo to push for tougher sanctions against NK

In the aftermath of North Korea’s test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, South Korea, the US and Japan are poised to push for a fresh batch of strong international and individual sanctions such as on labor exports and fuel trade.

The UN Security Council will hold an emergency session on Wednesday in New York, upon a request of the three countries. Their leaders would also explore their options at a dinner meeting scheduled for Thursday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson condemned Tuesday’s provocation as a “new escalation of the threat” which requires global action. He specifically singled out North Korean “guest workers,” urging their host countries to warn the communist state of “consequences” to its nuclear ambition.

“Any country that hosts North Korean guest workers, provides any economic or military benefits, or fails to fully implement UN Security Council resolutions is aiding and abetting a dangerous regime,” Tillerson said in a statement Tuesday.

“We intend to bring North Korea‘s provocative action before the UN Security Council and enact stronger measures to hold the DPRK (North Korea) accountable.”

President Moon Jae-in also vowed to take “corresponding measures” as he convened a meeting of the National Security Council following the liftoff.

Kim Hong-kyun, Seoul’s chief nuclear negotiator and special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, on Wednesday held separate phone calls with his US and Japanese counterparts -- Joseph Yun and Kenji Kanasugi -- during which they condemned the launch and agreed to come up with a “strong response” at the UNSC and on their own, the Foreign Ministry here said in a statement.

The issue would also top the agenda when Moon and US President Donald Trump separately meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping for a summit in Germany.

With Washington ramping up pressure, its tug of war is set to intensify with China, which chairs the council this month, over the content and level of a new resolution.

China faces persistent criticism that it has not been fully enforcing the international sanctions and continues to keep its wayward neighbor afloat through labor imports and oil and other economic assistance.

Resolution 2321, adopted last November in response to Pyongyang’s Sept. 9 nuclear test, addressed the issues of overseas laborers for the first time. Instead of imposing a ban, however, it called for “vigilance,” saying the workers are intended to earn hard currency to fund the nuclear and missile programs.

Some 50,000 North Koreans are believed to be working around the world, with the majority in China and Russia and others mostly in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

“Since the last resolution, I’ve learned many countries had been moving to stop renewing visas for North Korean workers and seeking replacements, but a binding ban would certainly propel more tangible action,” a Seoul official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue.

Energy trade has also been a source of perennial contention. In February, Beijing halted all imports of coal from the North as it neared the quota enshrined in a UNSC resolution. Last week, Reuters reported state-run China National Petroleum Corp has suspended fuel sales under mounting pressure. 

Aside from the UNSC, the Trump administration may well continue to expand secondary sanctions targeting Chinese businesses and individuals engaged in transactions with Pyongyang.

Albeit with slim chances of materializing, talk of military action is likely to resurface in light of the US’ strikes in Syria and Afghanistan last April, observers say. Tillerson and other administration officials have said “all options are on the table” and warned Pyongyang “not to test” the US’ resolve.

Last week, Washington slapped sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company on suspicions they have helped with the North’s weapons programs, while accusing a Chinese bank of laundering money for the Kim Jong-un regime.

The designation of the Bank of Dandong, headquartered in the North Korea-Chinese border region, was particularly seen as a major step akin to the US’ 2005 embargo against Banco Delta Asia, a family-owned bank in Macau known to be a money-laundering channel for the regime.

The Treasury then froze about $25 million in the bank’s accounts traced to Pyongyang in a bid to help dry up resources for its nuclear program. The step, even after its lifting, triggered a massive run on the institution’s deposits and a far wider impact across the globe.

“More secondary sanctions are possible as the Trump administration appears to have greater willingness than its predecessor,” another Seoul official said.

“And if it concludes the North’s threat is so serious that it requires military action, it might take it through the Proliferation Security Initiative rather than a direct attack,” the official added, referring to an international scheme initiated in 2003 by then US President George W. Bush to curb trafficking of weapons of mass destruction, their delivery systems and related materials.

Cory Gardner, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, said he is working to draft a bipartisan bill banning any entity with North Korea ties from using the US financial system, calling for the UNSC including China to join in imposing a “complete economic embargo” against Pyongyang.

“Every nation of conscience should cut off all finance and trade with Pyongyang, with a few limited humanitarian exceptions, until such time that Pyongyang is willing to meet its international commitments to peacefully denuclearize,” the Republican said in a statement.

“If China fails to act, as it has to date, its relationship with the US cannot remain the same. Beijing now has a real decision to make: allow the dangerous pattern of escalation to continue or step up and help deter a potential nuclear war.”

By Shin Hyon-hee (heeshin@heraldcorp.com)