US Maintains North Korea's 'State Sponsor of Terrorism' Designation... "Repeated Support for Terrorist Acts"

The U.S. government will maintain its designation of North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism this year as well.

On the 12th (local time), the U.S. Department of State released the "Country Reports on Terrorism 2023," which lists North Korea, Cuba, Iran, and Syria as state sponsors of terrorism.

The State Department re-designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in 2017 during the Trump administration, citing incidents such as the death of Otto Warmbier and the assassination of Kim Jong-nam. In the report, the State Department stated regarding the 2017 re-designation decision that "North Korea was determined to have repeatedly supported international terrorist acts, including involvement in assassination incidents that occurred abroad."

It also pointed out that four members of the Japanese Red Army, wanted by the Japanese government for their involvement in the 1970 hijacking of a Japanese aircraft, continue to hide in North Korea, stating that "North Korea has not taken measures to resolve historical support issues related to international terrorist acts."

Kim Jong-un, Chairman of the State Affairs Commission of North Korea, Yonhap News Agency

This content is consistent with previous years' reports and does not include any new information regarding North Korea's terrorist support activities.

The State Department first designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1988 following the 1987 bombing of a Korean Air passenger plane but removed it from the list in 2008. Designation as a state sponsor of terrorism imposes sanctions such as restrictions on arms exports, controls on dual-use goods exports, limitations on U.S. aid, and financial restrictions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.