(Ahn Young-joon/AP)The Trump administration says trade sanctions are undermining the North Korean economy and that the financial squeeze has compelled Kim Jong Un to negotiate. Trump described the sanctions as “very biting,” and Mnuchin has cited their “very big impact” on the North Korean economy. Many assumed that the North Korean economy, which had undergone devastating famines in the ’90s, was fragile. “While estimates vary widely, the South Korean central bank says the North Korean economy has grown. It wasn’t until March 2016 that the sanctions began to target, in a general way, the North Korean economy.

Source: Washington Post March 26, 2018 14:16 UTC