The US clearly believes that ASEAN members could be doing more, as evidenced by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s comments when hosting ministers in Washington early in May. He suggested states consider cutting diplomatic ties with Pyongyang and warned of secondary sanctions aimed at firms found to be dealing with North Korea.
Although visa-waiver programmes for North Korean nationals have been scaled back, ASEAN members still host numerous North Korean embassies, reflecting the importance placed on maintaining diplomatic engagement as opposed to isolating Pyongyang further. This is problematic, since embassies and trade offices also frequently serve as nodes in North Korea’s elaborate illicit network of procurement and exports. Recent reports indicate that North Korean companies have been selling their wares through other states in the region. Fears have also been raised about North Korean nationals exploiting the limited oversight and developed IT infrastructure in ASEAN countries to conduct cyber operations.
These reports may explain, in part, why US President Donald Trump has personally sought to engage the Philippines and Thailand – two of North Korea’s top-five trading partners – with invitations to President Rodrigo Duterte and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to visit the White House. With little prospect of engagement or dialogue with North Korea, the US is seeking to tighten loopholes, improve regional sanctions implementation and ultimately increase pressure.
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