The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote Tuesday on a sanctions measure that would block North Korea’s access to the hard currency it needs for its nuclear weapons program.
Republican House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce sponsored the sanctions bill, which is seen as a response to North Korea's announcement last week that it had conducted a fourth nuclear test — this one detonating a thermonuclear device with massive destructive power. That claim has been met with widespread skepticism.
Royce said the threat from North Korea's nuclear advances is unacceptable, and that Congress should take the lead.
The North Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act would authorize the seizing of any assets connected with North Korea's proliferation, illicit activities and human rights violations. It would deny North Korean leaders access to the U.S. financial system, and it presses the president to sanction individuals who facilitate cyberattacks against the United States.
The U.N. Security Council, which met in an emergency session hours after the January 6 nuclear test was detected, is also considering new sanctions against North Korea for its "clear violation" of previous U.N. resolutions.
The council last approved sanctions against North Korea three weeks after Pyongyang's third nuclear test on February 12, 2013.