Anchor: A senior U.S. Republican lawmaker says he will soon introduce bipartisan legislation for additional sanctions against North Korea in order to strain its source of funding. Jang Souie has this report.

Report: House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce said he will soon introduce legislation for additional U.S. sanctions targeting North Korea’s illicit activities and use of foreign banks.

Royce explained the legislation would be similar to laws introduced in 2005 aimed at freezing North Korean bank accounts at Banco Delta Asia. He stressed that the U.S. should come up with ways to restrict Pyongyang’s access to hard currency and prevent a further spread of nuclear weapons.

The Republican lawmaker said North Korea’s development of a nuclear weapon risks provoking an atomic arms race in East Asia, explaining this is also the reason China asked North Korea leader Kim Jong-un not to engage in additional missile launches or nuclear activities. He also said Kim Jong-un regime’s provocative moves are not in line with the path recommended by the international society and against everyone’s interests.

Royce said that UN resolutions aren’t working well enough at this point, because North Korea’s ally China is not active enough in sanctioning the North.

He also voiced concern about cooperation between North Korea and Iran, saying they are known to have shared missile technology and their cooperation may extend to nuclear development activities.

Regarding the internal situation in North Korea, Royce said South Korean dramas are gaining increasing popularity among North Korean residents.
He said North Koreans will soon realize the gap between the two Koreas and start doubting the North Korean regime.

Jang Souie KBS World Radio News.