Dealing with North Korea brings to mind Sisyphus, the mythological Greek king condemned for eternity to roll a stone up a hill, only to watch it roll back down. Whatever the United States does, Kim Jong Un again will fire missiles, test nukes and threaten to lay waste to his enemies.
Now the Obama administration has applied sanctions to him personally, though for human rights violations, not security concerns. The U.S. State Department explained that Kim was "ultimately responsible" for what it termed "North Korea's notorious abuses of human rights." There are many, of course. No political rights. No civil liberties. No freedom of speech. No religious liberty. Brutal detention camps. And the notorious songbun system of social classification. North Korea isn't a nice place for anyone other than the Kim family and friends.
Now any property in the U.S. owned by Kim and 10 of his top officials will be frozen. And Americans will be prohibited from doing business with them. The administration predicted that the impact from its action would ripple around the globe, making it harder for those named to bank overseas.
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