President Donald Trump has designated North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, allowing the United States to impose additional sanctions and penalties against Pyongyang as it continues to pursue nuclear weapons programs.
The US president, who has traded personal barbs and insults with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said the Treasury Department would announce the additional sanctions against North Korea on Tuesday.
The designation came a week after Mr Trump returned from a 12-day, five-nation trip to Asia in which the US president made containing North Korea's nuclear ambitions a centrepiece of his discussions with world leaders.
"Today, the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism," Mr Trump said on Monday at the White House.
"Should have happened a long time ago, should have happened years ago."
