“These days, I think people in the U.S. are more interested in Iran [than North Korea].”

A government official spoke about the actions of Robert Einhorn, U.S. State Department special advisor for nonproliferation and arms control. Einhorn visited South Korea from Aug. 1-3 to discuss the additional sanctions against North Korea that the U.S. government plans to announce within the next few weeks.

Indeed, Einhorn was reported to have focused on the issue of sanctions against Iran during an informal meeting Tuesday morning with International Finance Bureau chief Kim Ik-ju and others during a visit to the Ministry of Strategy and Finance (MOSF) in Gwacheon.

“The United States explained the background and inevitability of its pursuit of sanctions in the cases of its Iran Sanctions Act, which went into effect last month, and the measures to be taken against North Korea in the future, and it asked for South Korea’s cooperatoin,” said Kim after the meeting. “The U.S. devoted far more of its time to explaining about Iran.”

A core government official said, “It would not be incorrect to say that Einhorn’s team focused on North Korea sanctions in its Foreign Ministry discussions on Monday and Iran sanctions in its discussions with the Ministry of Strategy and Finance on Tuesday.”

Einhorn, however, has reportedly placed considerable weight on the issue of Iran sanctions during discussions with the Foreign Ministry and Cheong Wa Dae (the presidential office in South Korea or Blue House) on Monday.

“It is true that the U.S. asked for cooperation on sanctions against Iran,” said a Foreign Ministry official.

According to observers, the recent activities of senior U.S. government figures indicate that U.S. interest is primarily focused on sanctions against Iran rather than sanctions against North Korea. Einhorn’s recent tour has included stops in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, and Belgium for discussions in mid-July, South Korea and Japan on Tuesday and Wednesday, and on to the United Arab Emirates and other countries. During the tour, he has been looking to step up sanctions against Iran.

Meanwhile, Stuart Levey, U.S. under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, has been visiting Lebanon and other Middle Eastern countries in order to solidify a network of international cooperation on sanctions against Iran. Other officials from the U.S. administration have also been visiting South American countries, including Ecuador, with the same purpose.

The discussions on North Korea sanctions during Einhorn’s South Korea visit were essentially an “interlude” in its diplomatic efforts toward harder Iran sanctions.

“The U.S. appears to have made the determination that if it squeezes just a bit tighter, Iran will move,” said an official with the South Korean government.

One important question for South Korea’s position is how this activity by the U.S. government affects its relations with Iran and sanctions against North Korea. To begin, its effects on North Korea sanctions are at this point difficult to gauge.

“There really is not a great deal of overlap between sanctions against Iran and sanctions against North Korea,” said a senior government official.

A key variable here is the response from China. In the words of a senior government official, despite its opposition to sanctions against North Korea, China tends to “cooperate with the U.S. more often than not,” for example by agreeing on June 9 to the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1929 for additional sanctions against Iran. The possibility also exists that strategic coordination between the United States and China on the issues of North Korea and Iran sanctions may impact the intensity and direction of additional U.S. sanctions against North Korea.

Second, minor cracks have begun to emerge between the South Korean and U.S. governments on the issue of Iran sanctions.

In response to the U.S. request for cooperation on Iran sanctions, a senior South Korean government official emphasized, “At the present time, there are no additional measures that the government will be taking.”

The prevailing attitude within the South Korean government has been somewhat circumspect in response.

“We also need to use Einhorn’s visit as an occasion to encourage South Korean businesses not to overreact to the Iran Sanctions Act in the U.S.,” said one South Korean government official.

“The U.S. appears to want South Korean businesses to cut down on their transactions even with ordinary businesses in Iran,” said another. “There is a need to examine what steps our government can take.”

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]