White House says Obama will sign North Korea sanctions bill

Japan has already banned the re-entry from North Korea of Japan-based foreign engineers who are involved in nuclear and missile development.

In televised remarks, senior South Korean presidential official Kim Sung-woo said North Korea’s spy agency has begun work to implement Kim Jong Un’s order to “muster anti-South terror capabilities that can pose a direct threat to our lives and security”. One of the strictest measures in the bill is the secondary boycott clause, which targets individuals or entities in third countries that have financial dealings with North Korea.

The sanctions cut off money North Korea needed to develop miniaturised nuclear warheads and long-range missiles.

Earlier in the day, presidential spokesman Jeong Yeon-guk told reporters that South Korea is bracing for any possible terror attacks by North Korea.

State television announced that North Korea had “successfully placed a satellite in orbit”.

In January, North Korea claimed to have tested a hydrogen bomb.

The White House confirmed Wednesday President Obama will sign the North Korea sanctions bill into law – upon which it will immediately come into effect.

“They were expecting something along the lines of what had been done in the past – a marginally tougher U.N. Security Council resolution and tough rhetoric, and move on”.

The THAAD system was created to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles at an altitude of over 50 km, but if North Korea wanted to use nuclear weapons against South Korea, it would use rockets that fly at much lower altitudes, Kim said.

The ministry also said that the effectuation of the act will strengthen the concerted efforts by the worldwide community to make Pyongyang “pay the price” for its latest provocations.

Although South Korea is clearly affected by the current global economic doldrums, economic experts defied the prediction that any negative outcome made by the said missile launch will likely have a minimal impact on the country’s long-term economy.