Seoul welcomes new USA sanctions on Pyongyang

South Korea has applauded the signing of a new law by the United States imposing more sanctions on North Korea for its recent nuclear test and the launch of a space rocket considered a disguised missile launch.

North Korea has a history of attacks on South Korea, such as the 2010 shelling on an island that killed four South Koreans and the 1987 bombing of a South Korean passenger plane that killed all 115 people on board.

North Korea sparked global outrage with the launch of the Kwangmyongsong-4 satellite, which came just a month after its fourth nuclear test.

Responding to the NIS assessment, the press secretary for South Korean President Park Geun-hye, Kim Sung-woo, said in televised remarks that the North is working to implement Kim Jong Un’s order to “muster anti-South terror capabilities that can pose a direct threat to our lives and security”.

The military said the North appears to have fired several artillery shells from its coastal base in Jangsan Cape, but the shells are not believed to have crossed the Northern Limit Line(NLL) maritime border.

It also targets anyone who sells luxury goods, launders money or supports human rights abuses in North Korea. Seaoul also has started preparatory talks with the US on deploying an advanced missile defense system in South Korea in attempts to tighten the screws on Pyongyang. “The corresponding sides should keep calm and exercise restraint, and refrain from any actions which could lead to an escalation of the situation”, spokesman Hong Lei said at a briefing.

An official from the county that governs the island says that residents didn’t evacuate although fishing boats returned to their ports.

Meanwhile, Seoul’s Defense Ministry said the military completed its search operations for debris from the North Korean long-range rocket that was launched into orbit February 7. The ministry said that the navy recovered two pieces of debris presumed to be from the launch.