SUNDAY TIMES WEB DESK:The U.S. Treasury also issued an updated advisory that listed 67 vessels that have engaged in illicit transfers of refined petroleum with North Korean tankers or were believed to have exported North Korean coal.
The Treasury Department identified the newly sanctioned firms as Dalian Haibo International Freight Co Ltd and Liaoning Danxing International Forwarding Co Ltd, both based in China.
The move prohibits U.S. dealings with the designated companies and freezes any assets they have in the United States.
The U.S. announcement came weeks after a second summit between Trump and Kim, in Hanoi, broke down late last month over conflicting demands by North Korea for relief from tough sanctions and from the U.S. side for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons.
The United States has led international efforts to press North Korea through sanctions to give up its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.
“The United States and our like-minded partners remain committed to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea and believe that the full implementation of North Korea-related U.N. Security Council resolutions is crucial to a successful outcome,” Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in the statement.
“Treasury will continue to enforce our sanctions, and we are making it explicitly clear that shipping companies employing deceptive tactics to mask illicit trade with North Korea expose themselves to great risk.”