hankyoreh

The United States called on United Nations (U.N.) member nations to follow in its footsteps in taking action to freeze assets of those individuals or companies thought to be helping North Korea’s missile programs and development of weapons of mass destruction (WMD).

The demand is in line with the U.N. Security Council resolution adopted July 15 condemning the communist country’s test-firing of missiles July 5.

In a telephone interview with Yonhap News Agency, Stewart Levey, Washington’s under secretary of the Treasury and in charge of issues involving the financing of terrorism, said that Washington will continue its probe into illegal money flow to the North and take measures to protect international financial networks.

Levey said the U.S. was discussing with its allies how to interpret the U.N Security Council resolution, but added that it is binding to all member nations. He said that entities openly engaged in North Korea’s missile and WMD programs, already designated under a U.S. executive order, are those that should be treated the same by all U.N. member nations.

He also said China, long one of the North’s closest allies but one of the nations that voted to pass the U.N. resolution, has taken "responsible action" in responding to Pyongyang’s alleged illicit activities. Levey was referring to state-run Bank of China’s freezing of North Korean assets. He said that other nations as well as private groups are joining U.S. moves based on the consensus that the North’s behavior poses a threat to the international community.