Senate approves new North Korean sanctions with defense bill passage

The massive defense policy bill passed by the Senate moves the U.S. a step closer to harsh new sanctions on North Korea even as President Trump seeks a way to restart direct nuclear talks with Pyongyang on a visit to South Korea this weekend.

The legislation, introduced by Sens. Pat Toomey, Pennsylvania Republican, and Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Democrat, would force foreign banks, especially those based in China, to choose between continuing to do business with North Korea and enjoying access to the U.S. financial system.

The House does not have a similar provision now in its version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which is still being debated in the chamber.

In a press conference, Mr. Toomey said the legislation, named the “Otto Warmbier Banking Restrictions Involving North Korea” (BRINK) act, is modeled after existing sanctions on Iran and “would present Chinese banks with a very simple choice: You can do business with the United States, or you can do business with North Korea, but you can’t do business with both.”

Mr. Warmbier, the bill’s namesake, was the American college student held in North Korea’s prison system for 17 months before being sent to the U.S. in June of 2017 in a comatose state, dying six days later.

North Korea officials have denied accusations that Mr. Warmbier died as a result of the torture he received.

When the legislation was reintroduced earlier this year, Mr. Warmbier’s parents, Fred and Cindy Warmbier, said they “believe that the sanctions in this bill will provide useful new tools for the United States to impact and change the behavior of Kim and his regime.”

The Senate’s NDAA passage came as the Trump administration’s special representative for North Korea said the U.S. wants to make progress with Kim Jong Un’s regime “simultaneously and in parallel,” suggesting a possible softening of the American stance after the push for an upfront, “big deal” derailed February negotiations in Hanoi.