U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner this week by introducing legislation that would bar entities that do business there — including those from its top trading partner, China — from using the American financial system.
The Colorado Republican, who described the measure as a global economic embargo, says the bill with bipartisan sponsorship is crucial to pressuring Pyongang and to “prevent nuclear war.”
Today, I introduced bipartisan legislation to impose an economic embargo on .
— Cory Gardner (@SenCoryGardner)
“With its latest successful test of an intercontinental ballistic missile, North Korea has demonstrated intent and capability to hit the U.S. homeland — and as President (Donald) Trump said, we must never allow this to happen,” Gardner said in a written statement. “We must take every diplomatic and economic measure now to stop North Korea.”
On July 4, North Korea fired . It was the nation’s latest step in a push for nuclear weapons capable of hitting the U.S.
Officials say the missile fired from North Pyongan province, in the nation’s western region, , which would be longer than any other similar tests previously reported, and covered about 580 miles. South Korean analysts say itap likely that it was a retest of one of two intermediate-range missiles launched earlier this year.
Gardner’s legislation would require the president to block all transactions with the North Korean government, its affiliates and those who do significant business with North Korea. The bill would also block any entity or financial institution in any significant trade with North Korea from the U.S. financial system — including the top 10 Chinese importers of North Korean goods.
The bill is called the North Korean Enablers Accountability Act and is co-sponsored by U.S. Sens. Ed Markey, D-Mass.; Bob Menendez, D-N.J., Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and Rob Portman, R-Ohio.
Gardner on East Asia, the Pacific and international cybersecurity. He has had several run-ins with North Korea in the past year.
Earlier this year, Gardner during a TV interview.
Days later, Pyongyang’s Korean Central News Agency , saying the Republican senator was “psychopath” who had “perpetrated wicked blasphemy” against Kim, .
The Associated Press contributed to this report.