Clinton announces new sanctions on N. Korea

The United States yesterday unveiled new sanctions against North Korea after the sinking of a South Korean warship and said the attack could be the start of more provocations by the communist state.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the measures were designed to pile pressure on Pyongyang and prevent the regime from bankrolling its atomic programme or spreading nuclear arms.

She said the measures were not directed at the North Korean people, “who have suffered too long due to the misguided and malign priorities of their government”.

“They are directed at the destabilising, illicit and provocative policies pursued by that government.”

Mrs Clinton and US Defence Secretary Robert Gates travelled to South Korea in a show of solidarity after the sinking of the ship, which left 46 dead.

The US and South Korea, citing findings of a multinational investigation, accuse the North of torpedoing the Cheonan near the disputed Yellow Sea border in March – a charge it denies.

“There has been some indication over the last number of months, that as the succession process gets under way in the North, that there might be provocations particularly since the sinking of the Cheonan,” Mr Gates said.

“So I think it is something that we have to look at very closely, we have to keep in mind and be very vigilant.”

Ailing leader Kim Jong-Il, 68, is widely reported to be preparing to name his youngest son as eventual successor.

The top US military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, also voiced concern about the regime’s recent actions, calling Kim “unpredictable” during a visit to some of the 28,500 American troops stationed in the South.

The sinking has sharply raised tensions on the peninsula, 60 years on from the start of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Mr Gates and his South Korean counterpart Kim Tae-Young Tuesday announced a major joint naval exercise starting next Sunday to send a “clear message” to the North.

The South’s defence ministry said it would be the first in a series of about 10 joint naval drills in coming months. Mr Gates defended the exercises as important to show “determination not to be intimidated”.

But China repeated its concerns over the wargames, saying the large-scale exercises could aggravate tensions in the region.

Mrs Clinton and Mr Gates earlier yesterday held talks with the South’s Foreign Minister Yu Myung-Hwan and Defence Minister Kim, the first so-called “two plus two” meeting in Seoul.