New sanctions on North Korea

THE United States yesterday announced new sanctions against North Korea, targeted against its leadership, and warned of serious consequences if it attacked the South again.

Relations across the divided peninsula have turned increasingly hostile after South Korea accused the North of sinking one of its warships in March, killings 46 sailors.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Washington was ready to return to international talks over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme if Pyongyang sent a “positive signal”.

She said the sanctions aimed to prevent North Korea selling arms and from procuring luxury goods, as well as to put out of business North Korean entities operating illicitly overseas.

“We are aiming very specifically, after much intensive research built on what was done before but not limited to that, to target the leadership, to target their assets,” Clinton told a news conference in Seoul with US Defence Secretary Robert Gates after a visit to the demilitarised zone.