Secretary Rice Speaks Out Against NK Counterfeiting
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Thursday labeled North Korea a “dangerous regime†and said Washington will not back down on financial sanctions imposed on Pyongyang for alleged counterfeiting.
“Their illegal activities have drawn sanctions from us because the president (George W. Bush) is not going to let North Korea counterfeit American money without action,†she told reporters in Washington.
International r e l a t i o n s experts in Seoul said Rice’s comments underlined a stiffening in the Bush administration’s approach to c o m m u n i s t North Korea.
U.S. diplomats have adopted a more critical line toward the North since September, when the Treasury Department ordered American financial institutions to cut all ties with the Macao-based bank Banco Delta Asia, accusing it of being a front for a North Korean counterfeiting operation.
I wonder which South Korean government official will rush to condemn Secretary Rice’s comments and defend North Korean counterfeiting?
