"Obama broadens N. Korea sanctions" by Associated Press | August 31, 2010
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration yesterday expanded sanctions against North Korea by freezing the assets of individuals, companies, and organizations allegedly linked to support for Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
Targeted entities included one variously known as Office 39 or Bureau 39, believed to direct a range of illicit activities in support of the North Korean nuclear program.
In a report earlier this year, the US Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute said Office 39 is involved in the manufacture and distribution of illegal drugs, the counterfeiting of US currency, and the manufacture and distribution of counterfeit cigarettes.
Any other AmeriKan maladies you can lay at their feet?
North Korea had no immediate comment on the sanctions, but it confirmed that its leader, Kim Jong Il, had returned safely from a not-so-secret trip to northeastern China. Kim met with top Chinese officials, including President Hu Jintao, toured factories, and visited Kim family historical sites.
Related: Kim Checks With China on Son's Succession
Also see: Carter Couldn't Communicate With Kim
The CIA man must be getting debriefed still.
Haven't seen an interview in the Globe yet.
In announcing the new sanctions, the Treasury Department said President Obama had issued an executive order authorizing action against four North Korean individuals, three North Korean companies, and five North Korean government agencies....
Didn't that type of behavior go out with Bush?
Of course, there is alway$ a way around $anction$:
"N. Korea tries to dodge sanctions, report says" by Associated Press | September 2, 2010
SEOUL — North Korea has changed the names of its trading companies and falsified trade documents to avoid international sanctions and continue exporting weapons, a news report and an intelligence official said yesterday....
Did they do it to start a war?
An official of South Korea’s National Intelligence Service said the report appears to be true but....
--more--"
SEOUL — South Korea and the United States will hold joint antisubmarine exercises in another show of force against North Korea, officials said yesterday, as Pyongyang renewed threats against the drills....
The drills, set to run from tomorrow through Thursday off the Korean peninsula’s west coast, will involve about 17,000 US and South Korean troops, seven ships, and two submarines as well as aircraft, according to South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff and the US military in Seoul.
The exercises are “designed to send a clear message of deterrence to North Korea, while improving overall alliance antisubmarine warfare capabilities,’’ the US military in Seoul said in a statement.
The announcement of the drills comes as China reportedly conducted live-ammunition exercises in the Yellow Sea....
That is a MESSAGE, too!!
Also see: Korean passes driving test on 960th try
Yeah, time to get out of here:
"The death toll from Typhoon Kompasu, which battered the Korean peninsula with strong winds and heavy rains, rose to five in South Korea, an official said today.
--more--"
And then it must have dissipated and disappeared because that's the last I read of it in the Globe.
