S. Korea, U.S. seek tighter N.K., Iran sanctions

South Korea and the U.S. on Tuesday discussed ways to improve the implementation of sanctions aimed at impeding the nuclear programs of North Korea and Iran.

David Cohen, undersecretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the U.S. Treasury Department, met with Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kyou-hyun. He also visited Cho Tae-yong, the Foreign Ministry’s top nuclear negotiator and special representative for Korean Peninsula peace and security affairs, and Eun Sung-soo, deputy minister for international economics at the Finance Ministry.

The two sides were expected to chiefly review the worldwide implementation of sanctions including Panama’s recent seizure of a North Korean ship that attempted to covertly carry missiles and other arms in an apparent breach of international resolutions. 

They also discussed cooperation over a new set of U.S. sanctions that came into force on July 1, targeting Iran’s gold and currency trade and auto industry.

“It’s important to keep the conversation going on these issues,” Cohen told Kim as they opened the talks at the ministry’s headquarters in Seoul.

Upon arrival here, he said the Panama case represented continuing North Korean threats with regard to conventional weaponry and its proliferation.

“(The two sides) in particular reviewed the implementation of the latest sanctions against Iran and we requested proactive U.S. assistance to minimize the damage for our businesses,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Tai-young told a regular news briefing.  “The two sides also assessed China’s efforts such as regarding the implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions and agreed to reinforce cooperation with China in the future over sanctions against North Korea.”

Despite the communist state’s ongoing peace offensive, the allies appear to be considering sanctions as key to curbing its nuclear ambitions and inducing a fundamental policy change.

In punishment for the North’s third nuclear test in February, the U.N. Security Council in March levied its fourth batch of increasingly crippling sanctions including asset freezes, travel bans and clampdowns on illegal sea cargo, luxury buys and “bulk cash” transfers.

After Cohen’s last trip later that month, China joined Washington’s new sanctions on the Foreign Trade Bank, the North’s main foreign exchange institution accused of being “directly tied to” its atomic activities.

Beijing plays a critical role in enforcing sanctions as Pyongyang’s sole major ally and biggest economic patron.

Seoul and Washington are also believed to suspect that Pyongyang is dodging the sanctions by pilfering military equipment through some Southeast Asian ports such as in Hong Kong and Taiwan.

South Korea was the second leg of the American sanctions specialist’s four-nation Asian tour including Japan, Singapore and Malaysia.

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