So does anyone think this will do anything to change the behavior of the North Korean regime?:

The Obama administration moved Wednesday to push new sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates showed solidarity with South Korea during a visit to the area that separates it from the North.

Clinton announced the new measures — targeting the sale or purchase of arms and related goods used to fund the communist regime’s nuclear activities, and the acquisition of luxury items to reward its elite — after she and Gates toured the heavily fortified border in a symbolic trip four months after the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the North.

The penalties are intended to further isolate the already hermetic North and persuade its leaders to return to talks aimed at getting it to abandon atomic weapons. The U.S. is also trying to forestall future provocative acts like the torpedoing of the Cheonan, which killed 46 South Korean sailors.

With specifics of the sanctions still being worked out, the more striking demonstration of U.S. resolve came when Clinton and Gates — in a first for America’s top two cabinet members — together toured the demilitarized zone in the village of Panmunjom.  [Associated Press]

You can read more at the link.

Sanctions against North Korea are only as good as government’s are willing to implement them against the North Koreans.  We already know the Chinese will not implement them so the luxury cars and cognac for the Kim regime will keep coming in.  It will be interesting to see how aggressive nations will go after North Korean arms shipments though considering this is a major cash cow for the regime.  These sanctions are supposed to also target North Korean financial transactions and travel of members of the ruling regime.  Will the US target Chinese banks where the North Koreans will undoubtedly move their money if European banks begin to clamp down on North Korean financial sanctions?  Remember that the North Koreans reportedly have $4 billion dollars in assets in European banks.

One Free Korea has more on financial sanctions worth checking out.

What countries will actually not allow North Korean regime members to travel?  Preventing North Koreans from traveling would hamper their various illicit activities going on around the world that brings in money to the regime.  These sanctions could be effective if they are implemented by a large number of countries, which I remain pessimistic will happen, but I guess we will see.