President Barack Obama signed new sanctions on North Korea into law Thursday, punishing the regime after its nuclear and missile tests as well as suspected cyber-hacking incidents.
Obama stamped his approval on the sanctions bill after Congress overwhelmingly passed the measure earlier this month. The two Republican senators running for president, Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida, both returned to Washington to cast “yes” votes on the bill.
The measure is meant to compel American allies to enact similarly tough restrictions on North Korea as a way to further isolate the country, which conducted its fourth nuclear test in January and recently launched a satellite into space.
Tough new multilateral sanctions have been held up at the United Nations Security Council over disagreements between China and other nations. China, a longtime sponsor of Pyongyang, has expressed concerns about measures that it worries could debilitate North Korea’s economy.
The unilateral U.S. sanctions that Obama approved Thursday would freeze the assets of anyone doing business related to North Korea’s nuclear or weapons programs or is involved in human rights abuses in the country.