Trump Pulls Back On North Korea Sanctions Amidst Negotiation

The Trump administration has decided to delay scheduled sanctions against North Korea amidst talks of reviving the proposed summit.

According to two White House officials, there was a package ready and aimed at almost three dozen sanction targets,  and it was prepared after the summit’s cancellation as a reaction to General Kim’s aggressive and threat-based rhetoric.

The administration had prepared to announce these sanctions on Tuesday, yet decided to delay them while their teams of negotiators are in North Korea and Singapore to discuss the recent climate. U.S. officials arrived on Monday to the area between North and South Korea that is usually the setting for negotiations between the two. In fact, the leaders of the two nations met there on Saturday to discuss efforts of negotiating the possibility of a summit and how they should proceed with the U.S.’ request for the country to dismantle their nuclear weapons program.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in has played a crucial role in the U.S-North Korea talks, speaking directly to both leaders and always arguing for there to be a summit. After the event’s cancellation, he was shown having to change his approach, focusing on finding a way that pleases general Kim Jong-un and that makes the U.S. give some sort of reciprocal compromise. The talks between North Korean and American delegations are likely to continue beyond Tuesday, with many coordination experts doubting that coordinating an event of this magnitude and importance can be done in such a short amount of time, since the president has stated his desire to still hold in on June 12.

The White House stated that the sanctions would be strengthened and delivered if negotiations didn’t have the desired outcome. North Korea has recently faced some of the most extensive and harsh sanction regimes in modern history, taking its financial system out of the international conversation—yet they have found a way to still receive income through illicit markets around the world. The U.S. and the United Nations have been in constant discussion regarding efforts to keep the country out of the world economy. They have even tried to influence North Korea’s biggest ally, China, into limiting trade and finance movement with them.

But the country’s connections to Russia (especially Moscow) have allowed North Korea to export its coal. These statements have been confirmed by the U.S. and the U.N. Recent conflicts in the Middle East have also improved the nation’s economy, since it has allowed them to export weaponry. From missile technology and guns to chemical weapons, North Korean weapons have been found in Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Iran. North Korea has also showed its presence in Africa, where it has engaged in arms trafficking.

Last week, a senior administration official stated that their goal was to achieve “maximum pressure.” Although these statements could raise the nations’ concerns towards negotiating with the U.S., Pyongyang’s apparent readiness and openness to hold dialogue with the diplomatic mission sent there could indicate that the North Korean is not closed to the idea of ultimately holding the summit.

Featured Image via: Flickr/Michael Vadon