[Photo] North Korea re-labeled state sponsor of terrorism

US President Donald Trump announced on Nov. 20 that he was putting North Korea back on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, nine years after former president George W. Bush had removed the designation in Oct. 2008. In justifying his decision, Trump stated, “In addition to threatening the world with nuclear weapons, North Korea has repeatedly sponsored international terrorism, including assassinations in foreign lands.” The designation was viewed as largely symbolic, as North Korea is already under heavy sanctions by both the US and the United Nations. Some experts criticized the move, with former US ambassador-at-large, Robert Gallucchi, telling the New York Times it was “counterproductive, nutty, and maybe tragically miscalculating,” and warning that it would make negotiations with North Korea over its nuclear program more difficult. (AP/Yonhap News)