President Trump. AFP=Yonhap News..

The U.S. State Department announced on the 3rd (local time) that it is pushing for UN sanctions against North Korean and third-country vessels that exported coal and iron ore in violation of UN Security Council (UNSC) sanctions.

This is the first time in years that the U.S. has sought sanctions designations by the UN Security Council Committee (1718 Committee) on North Korea, and it is interpreted as an intention to block funds that North Korea procures for nuclear and missile development through coal and iron ore exports.

A State Department official stated at a press briefing on the same day, "In May-June, North Korean vessels (Tientong, Sinpyeong 6) near North Korean waters transported North Korean coal, whose export is banned under UNSC resolutions, and transferred it via ship-to-ship transfer to a Sierra Leone-flagged vessel (Flyfree), and that coal was transported and unloaded in the Weifang region of China."

The official also introduced an additional case where North Korean coal and iron ore were unloaded in China using third-country vessels in January of this year.

The official urged the UN 1718 Committee to immediately designate seven vessels involved in North Korea's coal and iron ore exports, which violated UNSC sanctions against North Korea, as sanctioned entities.

The proposed sanctions will be automatically finalized five days after circulation to the 1718 Committee, unless any member state objects.

However, a member state that objects to this agenda item can immediately express its 'opposition' or impose a 'hold' for up to nine months.

If Russia or China, which are permanent members of the Security Council and have recently been closely aligned with North Korea, raise objections, the sanctions are unlikely to pass.

The U.S.'s push for sanctions is drawing more attention as it coincidentally comes shortly after the planned meeting between President Trump and North Korean Chairman Kim Jong Un was canceled.

Earlier, President Trump expressed his desire to meet with Chairman Kim several times during his Asia tour at the end of last month, but the meeting did not materialize.

Ultimately, the U.S.'s current pursuit of sanctions appears to signify that it will not solely rely on conciliatory measures to bring North Korea, which is completely rejecting denuclearization and related dialogue, to the negotiating table.

Yonhap News