US President Donald Trump has designated North Korea as a state sponsor of terror in the midst of growing nuclear tensions.
Declaring it part of the United States’ “maximum pressure campaign,” Trump said North Korea would now join Sudan, Syria and Iran on the list of state sponsors of terror, Associated Press reports.
“In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism including assassinations on foreign soil, Trump said in a meeting on Monday, adding that the declaration will further penalise North Korea.
The announcement comes nearly ten years after the Bush administration removed North Korea from the state sponsor of terror list in order to open discussion about the country’s nuclear developments.
Those in support of the decision said that the murder of Kim Jong Un’s half-brother in February was an act of terrorism and justified the move, despite lawyers saying multiple incidents of terrorism were required.
While some fear the decision will enhance the escalating tensions between North Korea and the United States, Trump maintained that it is long overdue.
