U.S. Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) called reports on Sunday that the Obama administration engaged in negotiations with North Korea without preconditions “extremely disappointing.”
Administration officials engaged in talks with North Korea, but those talks broke off after North Korea refused U.S. concessions and engaged in a nuclear test in January, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Gardner, chair of the Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia, the Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Policy, expressed disappointment that the administration went into the talk without preconditions such as North Korea ending its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, human rights abuses and cyber attacks.
“Like Iran, North Korea doesn’t play by the rules, and it’s far past time that the United States meets its aggression with strength,” Gardner said. “My North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act changes U.S. policy to offer real solutions to counter North Korea’s belligerence. I’m proud it has been signed into law and it represents a significant shift away from the Obama administration’s failed policy that has led to three nuclear tests since President Obama assumed office.”
Gardner’s North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act imposes mandatory sanctions on individuals who assist North Korea’s nuclear proliferation, censorship, human rights abuses and cyber attacks.