The Trump administration officially declared North Korea a state-sponsor of terrorism on Monday, placing the rogue nation back on the list for the first time since they were removed by President George. W. Bush, reports Fox News.
Speaking to reporters following high-level meetings with his Cabinet, Trump said the move “should have happened a long time ago.” The new policy allows the White House to place even more crippling sanctions against the communist regime as they continue to expand their nuclear and missile programs.
“This designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea… and supports our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the murderous regime,” said the President.
The announcement comes on the heels of President Trump’s two-week whirlwind tour of Asia, where he met with regional allies to plot a path forward on stopping dictator Kim Jong Un from developing nuclear weapons.
The President ratcheted up his war-of-words with Kim during the trip, referring to the despot as “short and fat” in a series of posts on social media. In response, The dictator issued a “death sentence” on Trump, saying he will “pay dearly” for insulting the communist leader.