Trump designates North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism

Speaking to members of his Cabinet, Trump said the designation “should have happened a long time ago.” The White House expects the move to put further pressure on North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to abandon his nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

“This designation will impose further sanctions and penalties on North Korea… and supports our maximum pressure campaign to isolate the murderous regime,” the president told reporters, noting that the Treasury Department is set to announce additional sanctions against North Korea on Tuesday.

The decision to return North Korea to the list of state sponsors of terrorism comes days after Trump returned from a 12-day swing through Asia, where he met with Chinese, Japanese and South Korean officials to discuss Pyongyang’s nuclear ambitions.

Trump has publicly wavered on whether to continue diplomatic efforts to calm rising tension between the U.S. and North Korea, or to pursue military action against the Kim regime in recent weeks.

North Korean officials have repeatedly rejected diplomatic overtures, refusing to enter negotiations until the country feels it has developed a reliable defensive capability to counter any attack from other nations.

Trump blasted North Korea as a country “ruled by a cult” when he delivered remarks in South Korea on Nov. 8.

“At the center of this military cult is a deranged belief in the ruler’s destiny to rule as a parent protector over a conquered Korean Peninsula,” the president said. “The more successful South Korea becomes the more successfully you discredit the dark fantasy at the heart of the North Korean regime.”

North Korea joins Sudan, Iran and Syria on the State Department list of state sponsors of terror.