US Enacts Secondary Sanctions Concerning North Korea

On February 18, 2016, President Obama signed the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 into law. The wide-ranging law was enacted in response to North Korea's nuclear weapons test on January 6, 2016, and it significantly expands the scope of the current US-North Korean sanctions regime.

The law provides for substantial secondary sanctions against those who trade with North Korea.  These include mandatory sanctions on individuals or entities found to have knowingly:

• Sold, supplied, or transferred significant amounts of semi-finished metals, such as aluminum, steel, and coal, or software for use in industrial processes used for weapons proliferation activities, the Korean Workers' Party, armedforces, internal security or intelligence activities