House Republicans and Democrats joined together Friday and overwhelmingly agreed to slap Pyongyang with more stringent sanctions. The package includes sanctions targeting North Korea and “secondary sanctions” against those who do business with it. The vote was 408-2, following a 96-0 vote in the Senate on Wednesday. “Sanctions are a critical tool in our national defense toolbox – we should use them”, said Lance.
Advertisement
“Like many members of Congress, the administration is deeply concerned about North Korea’s recent actions and the serious setback that this test represents”, White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters in a briefing.
The bill also authorizes $10 million annually over the course of five years to transmit radio broadcasts into North Korea and provide humanitarian assistance to fleeing refugees.
The legislation (H.R. 757), which was originally authored by Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, passed the House last month before it was combined with similar bills in the Senate proposed by Sens.
Politicians said they wanted to make Washington’s resolve clear, but also to the United Nations and other governments, especially China, North Korea’s lone major ally and main business partner.
On Wednesday, South Korea shut down the Kaesong Industrial Complex, the last remaining vestige of inter-Korean cooperation.
“This bill sends the message to the regime in North Korea that they must reform, and they must disarm this nuclear weapons program”, Royce said.
Advertisement
North Korea already faces wide-ranging sanctions from the United States and under existing U.N. resolutions is prohibited from trading in weapons and importing luxury goods. That assessment is based on Pyongyang’s efforts to manufacture nuclear-tipped missiles capable of striking the USA mainland and that the technology used to launch a rocket carrying a satellite into space can be applied to fire a long-range missile.
