US Prepares High-Seas Crackdown on North Korea Sanctions Evaders

US Prepares High-Seas Crackdown on North Korea Sanctions Evaders
The Coast Guard Cutter Midgett, a 378-foot high-endurance cutter homeported in Seattle, transits the Strait of Juan de Fuca enroute to Seattle, Washington, U.S. in this Oct. 13, 2015. Petty Officer 1st Class Levi Read/U.S. Coast Guard/Handout via Reuters
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WASHINGTON–The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said.

Washington has been talking to regional partners, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and Singapore, about coordinating a stepped-up crackdown that would go further than ever before in an attempt to squeeze Pyongyang’s use of seagoing trade to feed its nuclear missile program, several officials told Reuters.