In Surprise, Trump Reverses Sanctions on North Korea

He 'likes Chairman Kim and he doesn't think' the penalties are necessary, says White House
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Mar 22, 2019 1:51 PM CDT
In Surprise, Trump Reverses Sanctions on North Korea
In this Feb. 28, 2019, file photo, President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un take a walk after their first meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, in Hanoi.   (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

President is reversing his administration's decision to slap new sanctions on North Korea and ordering them withdrawn. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump "likes Chairman Kim and he doesn't think these sanctions will be necessary," per the AP. Trump himself addressed the move on Twitter: "It was announced today by the U.S. Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea," he wrote. "I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions!"

The White House did not immediately respond to questions about which sanctions Trump was referring to. However, his administration on Thursday sanctioned two Chinese shipping companies suspected of helping North Korea evade sanctions—the first targeted actions taken against Pyongyang since Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un met in Hanoi last month. The Hill sees it as "remarkable" that Trump would publicly rebuke his own Treasury Department, especially after national security adviser John Bolton praised the sanctions announced on Thursday. The Washington Post describes the move as an "apparent effort to salvage nuclear negotiations."

(More President Trump stories.)

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