The White House said on Monday that earlier sanctions on North Korea remain in place, referring to sanctions imposed last Thursday on two Chinese shipping companies over their alleged ties to the North. 

Following the new sanctions, President Donald Trump tweeted the next day that he had ordered the withdrawal of additional large-scale sanctions on the North.

The tweet caused confusion as it was unclear whether he was referring to Thursday's sanctions or new sanctions that had yet to be announced.

When asked about the tweet, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters the sanctions that were in place before are certainly still effective and that the president didn't feel it was necessary to add additional sanctions.

[Photo : KBS News]