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No direct demands for sanctions levied at S.K., observers say
U.S. Treasury Department undersecretary Stuart Levey met high-ranking South Korean diplomatic and security officials July 18 in Seoul, including top security secretary Song Min-soon. According to a government official who asked to remain unnamed, Levey said at the meeting that the U.S. administration is considering restoring economic sanctions against North Korea that were partially lifted in 2001. Other officials in attendance were Korea Financial Intelligence Unit chief Yoo Jae-han, deputy foreign minister Yoo Myung-hwan, and Levey’s counterpart, deputy finance minister Jin Dong-soo.A foreign ministry official countered claims that the U.S. was looking to restore prior sanctions, saying that "Levey’s visit to South Korea was fixed a long time ago, and the visit was aimed at exchanging opinions, not tuning policies." Molly Millerwise, a spokesperson at the U.S. Treasury Department, made different remarks, however, on July 18 local time, saying that the U.S. government, with the passage of the U.N. resolution against North Korea, expects U.N. member nations to block the so-called financial web that supports North Korea’s missiles and weapons of mass destruction. Levey is one of the top U.S. officials in charge of deciding upon financial sanctions against North Korea. Government observers say it is unlikely that his visit was aimed at merely "exchanging opinions." Even if no specific measures were demanded of South Korea by the U.S., on other legs of his tour in Vietnam, Singapore, and Japan, Levey has been discussing how to prevent money from being transferred into North Korea, the observers said. In a meeting with top security secretary Song, Levey allegedly said that "measures put on Banco Delta Asia were unavoidable." These comments could mean a request by North Korea to lift such financial sanctions in exchange for returning to the six-party talks is unacceptable. In April, Levey said in a session of U.S. Congress that financial sanctions against North Korea safeguard the financial sector from illicit conduct, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. According to the government official, Levey was not demanding the South Korean government take specific action against North Korea. However, Levey had extensively exchanged opinions with top government officials in regard to the Gaeseong (Kaesong) industrial park and Mt. Geumgang (Kumgang) tourism business. Levey may be in the position of listening first and then raising questions later via the U.S. media and other means. In a regularly-scheduled press briefing, foreign affairs minister Ban Ki-moon clarified the government’s position, saying the government will push forward with the Gaeseong industrial park as planned. Referring to some criticisms that the Gaeseong industrial park and Mt. Geumgang business are in conflict with the U.N. resolution against North Korea, top security secretary Song stressed at the press briefing, "We delivered our opinion that there is no problem in terms of local laws, judicial judgment and international laws." The government has no plan to stop or scale back inter-Korean business projects such as the Gaeseong industrial park and Mt. Geumgang tourism, he said. In a statement released July 18 local time, Levey called the discussions productive and educational, his choice of words possibly indicating that the South Korean government had remained firm regarding its stance on upholding inter-Korean business.
