U.S. mulls sanctions on N. Korea for human rights violations: report

The blacklist, which will be submitted to Congress as early as this week, comprises 15 officials in the North Korean leadership and 10 agencies involved in infringement of human rights, including sending people to prison camps, the JoongAng Ilbo reported, citing multiple U.S. and South Korean sources, Kyodo reports.

A key source said the move "holds very significant meaning."

"The submission of a human rights violation report that includes Kim Jong Un, and the announcement of sanctions on North Korea's human rights issue -- unlike sanctions for its nuclear tests or missile launches -- permanently labels North Korea as 'a country in violation of human rights' and Kim Jong Un as 'a criminal who perpetrated the human rights violations,'" the source was quoted as saying.

The source added it is the first time the United States is imposing unilateral sanctions over the North Korean human rights issue.

Another official was quoted as saying, "Targeting North Korea's leader in itself could cause a huge ripple effect in North Korea-U.S. relations and as a consequence in inter-Korean relations."

Source: Kyodo