US imposes new sanctions on North Korea

Friday, December 8th 2006, 5:28 pm

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) Two months after North Korea detonated a nuclear weapon, the United States announced a series of sanctions believed to have no practical effect on the communist regime because of existing punishments.

The measures announced Friday were triggered by the official finding that North Korea, a non-nuclear state, had triggered a nuclear device on October 9th. Although the United States quickly decided Pyongyang had conducted a test, President Bush signed an official presidential determination to that effect Thursday.

With that determination, the United States was required to bar nuclear cooperation under the Atomic Energy Act and financial assistance under the Export-Import Bank. The United States provides neither to North Korea. It also requires a wide range of economic sanctions that already are in place.

The White House said the finding did not affect humanitarian or food aid.