White House Designates North Korea as a State Sponsor of Terrorism

by Jason Frerichs

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Donald Trump has put North Korea back on the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. The only other countries with this designation are Iran, Sudan, and Syria. This designation allows the US to impose more economic sanctions and exacerbates the already volatile relations between the two countries. This action comes on the heels of a 12-day Asia trip where Trump made his opinion on North Korea the focal point of his visit.

“In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil,” Trump told reporters at the White House. North Korea is building a nuclear weapons and missiles program despite sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council.  On September 3^rd, North Korea fired two missiles over Japan and has not shied away from speculation that they are developing a missile capable of hitting the US.

What if anything, will these new sanctions accomplish? According to experts, these sanctions will be mostly symbolic due to the fact that North Korea is already under heavy economic sanctions. Some experts disagree that North Korea fits this designation because evidence that a state has “repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism” is a requirement.

At Monday’s White House Press Briefing, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was asked if Russia meets the definition of a State Sponsor of Terrorism given that it has sponsored killings using chemical weapons in Syria, Chechnya, and Ukraine. Tillerson said, “we have to consider every country that would take a substance like that and use it illegally.” He refused to state whether or not the US was considering adding Russia to the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism.

Trump’s bluster has generally resulted in over the top rhetoric from North Korea threatening to fire missiles at the US and allies like South Korea and Japan. It remains to be seen if the North Korea does indeed have a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the US. Trump seems more than happy to respond in kind.  Earlier this year he threatened that the US would retaliate with, “fire and fury like the world has never seen.”  Trump has refused to take military action off the table.  For now, the entire situation is in a standoff.  In an ironic twist of fate, the world must look to China to be the voice of reason in this dispute.