US Levies New Sanctions on N. Korea

(AP) – The Obama administration pushed new sanctions today against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced new measures during a visit to the DMZ four months after the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the North. The sanctions target arms and related goods used to fund the communist regime's nuclear activities, and the acquisition of luxury items to reward its elite.

Presenting the outlines of the fresh sanctions, Clinton said the North could win "the security and international respect it seeks" by stopping its provocative behavior, halting threats toward its neighbors, and returning to denuclearization talks. Details of the sanctions are being finalized, but Clinton and other US officials said they would enhance and expand on existing international financial and travel sanctions. The US will freeze additional assets, prevent more individuals from traveling abroad and collaborate with banks to stop suspect transactions. The US will also seek to stop North Korea's abuse of diplomatic privileges to carry out illegal activities, notably cigarette and currency counterfeiting and money laundering.