Anchor: Eight North Korean banks and 26 individuals have been added to a U.S. sanctions blacklist in a bid to further isolate Pyongyang. The U.S. Treasury Secretary said the move was in line with the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula in a peaceful manner, however President Donald Trump has also made it known that he is prepared to take military actions.
Park Jong-hong has the details.
 
Report: The U.S. has added eight North Korean banks and 26 individuals to its sanctions blacklist, beefing up pressure on the country over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs.
 
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement on Tuesday that the U.S. is targeting North Korean banks and financial facilitators acting as representatives for North Korean banks across the globe. 
 
The secretary said that the move further advances the U.S. strategy to fully isolate North Korea in order to achieve its broader objectives of a peaceful and denuclearized Korean Peninsula, adding the action is consistent with UN Security Council resolutions.
 
The sanctions freeze the property and interests of the designated entities and individuals within the U.S. territory or in Americans' possession, effectively freezing them out of the global financial system. 
 
The eight banks are: Agricultural Development Bank, Cheil Credit Bank, Hana Banking Corp. Ltd., International Industrial Development Bank, Jinmyong Joint Bank, Jinsong Joint Bank, Koryo Commercial Bank Ltd. and Ryugyong Commercial Bank.
 
The 26 individuals are all North Korean nationals working as representatives of North Korean banks in China, Russia, Libya and the United Arab Emirates. 
 
The new sanctions were issued as U.S. President Donald Trump said he is "totally prepared" to use military options in North Korea, although they are not preferred.
 
[Sound bite: U.S. President Donald Trump]
"We are totally prepared for the second option. Not a preferred option, but if we take that option, it will be devastating -- I can tell you that -- devastating for North Korea. That's called the military option. If we have to take it, we will."
 
Speaking at a White House press conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Brey on Tuesday, Trump said the North Korean crisis should have been handled by past administrations, but he'll "fix the mess."
 
Seoul’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that the sanctions will help lead the North toward denuclearization.
Park Jong-hong, KBS World Radio News. 
 

[Photo : ]