Editorial Board
More Sanctions, Fewer Insults Against North Korea
Trump's tweets and statements increase tension and anxiety among both allies and enemies.
Only actions, not words, can stop this.
Photograph: HandoutNo one knows how North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will respond to growing pressure on his regime, other than by scouring the thesaurus. But the U.S. and China seem to be stumbling toward a more effective strategy for confronting him. More boldness from the latter, and restraint from the former, will be necessary to see it through.
New U.S. sanctions that give the Treasury Department the authority to block banks and businesses that do business with North Korea from using the U.S. financial system are a powerful tool. Existing United Nations sanctions haven't yet forced a change in Kim's behavior, while the known military options remain inconceivable in anything but the direst circumstances.