USA, UK meet industry leaders to reinforce sanctions on N Korea

Amid reports of North Korea's successful testing of a new high-tech tactical weapon, representatives from the United States and the United Kingdom met with industry leaders in London to discuss steps that the private sector can take to prevent North Korea's sanction evasion activities which fuel its UN-prohibited nuclear and missile programs.

"The presentations focused on topics such as North Korean sanctions evasion tactics, public-private sector cooperation, and enhanced due diligence approaches for the maritime insurance industry," a media note released by the US Department of State said.

The meeting featured presentations by representatives from the U.S. Department of State, the UK Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the UN Panel of Experts on North Korea, international research institutions, and the maritime insurance industry. "As part of the event, participants discussed mechanisms to enhance cooperation between the private sector, governments, and the UN to detect and disrupt North Korea-linked shipping, and proactive measures to halt the provision of insurance and other services to vessels and entities that violate UN sanctions," the release mentioned.

Underscoring that the US will not hesitate in imposing sanctions on "any individual, entity, or vessel supporting North Korea's illicit activities," the media note stated that North Korea "continues to employ deceptive tactics in order to evade UN sanctions. Facilitated by illicit transfers, North Korea's imports of refined petroleum have substantially breached the UN-mandated cap. We urge all insurance providers, commodity traders, and other businesses to immediately end any and all relationships that support or facilitate the provision of refined petroleum to North Korea or other illicit North Korean shipping activities."

Lastly, the release highlighted US' commitment towards the "final, fully verified" denuclearisation in the Korean peninsula, reaffirming its belief that such outcomes would only be possible if all countries wholly implement North Korean-related UN Security Council resolutions.

"The international community must continue to implement and enforce these resolutions until North Korea denuclearises," the release concluded.

The latest release by the Michael Pompeo-helmed US Department of State is an indication that the US would not be easing sanctions on North Korea any time soon, adding further strain to stalled US-North Korean talks on denuclearisation.

North Korea has pushed for concessions in the form of an ease of sanctions by the US and a formal declaration of the end of the 1950-53 Korean war, in return for what the state views as substantive measures towards denuclearisation which includes the demolition of its Punggye-ri nuclear test site.