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 Home > News & Policies > June 2008

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 26, 2008

Message to the Congress of the United States

TO THE CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES:

     Pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, as amended (50 U.S.C. 1701 et seq.) (IEEPA), I hereby report that I have issued an Executive Order continuing certain restrictions on North Korea and North Korean nationals imposed pursuant to the exercise of authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act (50 U.S.C. App. 1 et seq.) (TWEA).  In the order, I declared a national emergency to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the current existence and risk of the proliferation of weapons-usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula.  I ordered the continuation of certain restrictions on North Korea and North Korean nationals as we deal with that threat through multilateral diplomacy.

     These restrictions were first imposed pursuant to authorities found in section 5(b) of TWEA, following the declaration of a national emergency in 1950 in Proclamation 2914 (15 FR 9029), and continued annually, after the enactment of IEEPA in 1977, in accordance with section 101(b) of Public Law 95-223 (91 Stat. 1625; 50 U.S.C. App. 5(b) note).  The most recent continuation of such TWEA authorities is found in Presidential Determination 2007-32 of September 13, 2007.  In a proclamation, which I signed the same day as the order, I terminated, effective the following day, the exercise of TWEA authorities with respect to North Korea.

     The order I have issued continues the blocking of certain property and interests in property of North Korea or a North Korean national that were blocked as of June 16, 2000, and that remained blocked immediately prior to the date of my order.  Absent this order, my proclamation terminating the exercise of TWEA authorities with respect to North Korea would have resulted in the unblocking of that property.

     The order also continues restrictions relating to North Korea-flagged vessels that would otherwise have been terminated by my proclamation.  These restrictions prohibit United States persons from owning, leasing, operating, or insuring any vessel flagged by North Korea and from registering vessels in North Korea or otherwise obtaining authorization for a vessel to fly the North Korean flag.  For the reasons set forth above, I found that it was necessary to continue these restrictions.

     I delegated to the Secretary of the Treasury, after consultation with the Secretary of State, the authority to take such actions, including the promulgation of rules and regulations, and to employ all powers granted to the President by IEEPA as may be necessary to carry out the purposes of my order.

     I am enclosing a copy of the Executive Order and proclamation I have issued.

GEORGE W. BUSH

THE WHITE HOUSE,

June 26, 2008.

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