Trump's attempts to pressure the North Korean government towards denuclearization took a new form on Friday, February 23. Trump's newest North Korean sanctions seek to restrict the nation's oil imports and coal exports. Experts claim that the Trump administration hopes to eventually impose a full economic blockade on North Korea, and possibly leverage the threat of military action in the future. The Trump administration's policies are a part of its larger mission to close off all the illegal avenues used by North Koreans to evade sanctions. Trump's efforts represent a continued manifestation of his reluctance to trust and rely on diplomatic pressure, though his administration maintains its rhetorical push for a peaceful resolution.
Trump's sanctions seek to erase a loophole in an older policy that aimed to eliminate North Korean shipments of refined fuel and coal. The initial policy was implemented as a response to North Korea's persistent nuclear and ballistic missile testing. Trump has sworn that any companies that help fund North Korea's nuclear ambitions will be cut out from having any business relations with the United States. The Trump administration ultimately hopes to use economic warfare to further isolate the North Korean regime.
North Korea's relations with China and Russia have worsened due to North Korea's attempts at smuggling fuel and coal -- two products that China and Russia are linked to through trade. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has claimed that the U.S. will petition to have China and related countries conduct inspections of "suspicious vessels" that may fit a smugglers' ship's profile. More specifically, the sanctions will target entities within the range of the following nations: North Korea, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Marshall Islands, Tanzania, Panama, and Comoros.
According to experts, the U.S. military has started its contingency planning. It plans to stop and inspect suspected vessels that are headed for North Korea, which may result in potential seizure. Alternatively, it may attempt to track these vessels and have them inspected from afar by the foreign personnel of other countries.
The push comes even as South Korea and North Korea move towards a tentative thaw.