Sanctions not helpful for DPRK negotiations

BEIJING - The latest round of sanctions the US has slapped on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) are having little effect, while the stalled Six-Party Talks do not have sufficient momentum to restart negotiations, according to Chinese analysts.

The US government said on Monday it has imposed additional sanctions on the DPRK under which the assets of four individuals and eight entities are frozen, under suspicion of being involved in illicit activities including the procurement of arms, Japan's Kyodo News reported.

"The sanctions themselves will not influence the nation much," said Wang Fan, a Korean studies expert at the China Foreign Affairs University in Beijing. "But playing hardball is America's usual strategy (and) in this way, they position themselves at an advantaged ground for future negotiations."