U.S. Signals New N. Korea Sanctions

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced at a news conference in Seoul that Washington will impose new sanctions on North Korea (BBC), targeting the sale and purchase of arms and luxury goods. See US announces new sanctions against North Korea

In a gesture also meant to signal intensifying pressure on North Korea (NYT)
before meetings with their counterparts in South Korea, Clinton and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates traveled to the Korean Peninsula's demilitarized zone. See also U.S. to Impose More Sanctions Against North Korea,

President Obama's nominee for Director of National Intelligence (Bloomberg)
, James Clapper, added to the warnings, telling the Senate Intelligence Committee the United States may be entering “a dangerous new period” with North Korea marked by Pyongyang's military provocations designed to advance the state's political goals. See U.S. Spy Chief Nominee Clapper Sees Rising Danger in North Korea Relations,

This new CFR Independent Task Force, U.S. Policy Toward the Korean Peninsula,

report says North Korea's continued provocations pose a serious threat to its neighbors and that the United States must lead intensified efforts to achieve the north's denuclearization.

This CFR Crisis Guide explores the military, economic and nuclear proliferation dimensions of the ongoing conflict on the Korean Peninsula.