US imposes first new North Korea sanctions since failed Hanoi summit - Reuters

Reuters reports that late on Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on two Chinese shipping companies it says helped North Korea evade sanctions over its nuclear weapons program.

These are the first sanctions imposed by the US following the failed meeting between the US President Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un held last month in Hanoi.

The US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in a statement: “The United States and our like-minded partners remain committed to achieving the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea and believe that the full implementation of North Korea-related U.N. Security Council resolutions is crucial to a successful outcome”.

“Treasury will continue to enforce our sanctions, and we are making it explicitly clear that shipping companies employing deceptive tactics to mask illicit trade with North Korea expose themselves to great risk,” he added.