The United States is considering designating North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House national security adviser said Thursday, a move meant to put additional financial and diplomatic pressure on the totalitarian government.

The State Department faces a congressionally mandated Thursday deadline to respond to several U.S. senators' request that North Korea be returned to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Currently, the only countries on the list are Iran, Syria and Sudan.

By Thursday afternoon, the State Department had not announced its decision, but White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said the U.S. was still considering the move.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump prepares to leave for a five-nation tour of Asia, during which North Korea is expected to be a main focus.

The U.S. put North Korea on the terror sponsor list in 1988, after North Korean agents blew up a South Korean civilian airliner, killing 115 people. But Pyongyang was removed in 2008 after they met specific benchmarks related to a nuclear disarmament deal.

The six-party disarmament talks collapsed a short time later, and North Korea declared the nuclear deal void. It has since conducted five more nuclear tests and steadily ramped up its ballistic missile program, in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Under U.S. law, a government must have "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism" in order to be included on the Sponsors of Terrorism list.

While North Korea is widely regarded as one of the most oppressive governments in the world with respect to its own people, its involvement with international terrorism is less prominent.

白宮國家安全顧問星期四表示，美國正在考慮把朝鮮列入支持恐怖主義國家名單。此舉意味著對這個極權主義政府施加更多的財務和外交壓力。

美國國務院星期四面臨國會規定的最后期限，對幾位聯邦參議員要求把朝鮮重新列入支持恐怖主義國家名單做出回應。目前，這個名單上的國家只有伊朗、敘利亞和蘇丹。

到星期四下午，美國國務院還沒有宣布其決定，但是白宮國家安全顧問麥克馬斯特將軍表示，美國仍在考慮采取這一舉措。

在考慮做出這一決定之際，川普總統準備啟程對亞洲五國進行訪問。預計訪問期間朝鮮問題將是主要議題。

朝鮮特工炸毀一架韓國民航航班，導致115人喪生后，美國1988年曾將朝鮮列入支持恐怖國家名單。但是在平壤當局達到一項核裁軍協議所規定的若干標準之后，美國在2008年將朝鮮挪出了這個名單。

此后不久，六方朝核談判破裂，朝鮮宣布這項去核協議無效。自從那時起，朝鮮又實施了5次核試驗，并堅持發展其彈道導彈項目，違反了聯合國安理會的幾項決議。

按照美國法律，只有當一個國家的政府“一再為國際恐怖主義行為提供支持”時，才能把它列入支恐名單。

雖然朝鮮當局被廣泛認為是世界上對本國國民壓制最深的政府之一，但是其參與國際恐怖主義的行為卻不是很明顯。

The United States is considering designating North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism, the White House national security adviser said Thursday, a move meant to put additional financial and diplomatic pressure on the totalitarian government.

The State Department faces a congressionally mandated Thursday deadline to respond to several U.S. senators' request that North Korea be returned to the State Sponsors of Terrorism list. Currently, the only countries on the list are Iran, Syria and Sudan.

By Thursday afternoon, the State Department had not announced its decision, but White House National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster said the U.S. was still considering the move.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump prepares to leave for a five-nation tour of Asia, during which North Korea is expected to be a main focus.

The U.S. put North Korea on the terror sponsor list in 1988, after North Korean agents blew up a South Korean civilian airliner, killing 115 people. But Pyongyang was removed in 2008 after they met specific benchmarks related to a nuclear disarmament deal.

The six-party disarmament talks collapsed a short time later, and North Korea declared the nuclear deal void. It has since conducted five more nuclear tests and steadily ramped up its ballistic missile program, in violation of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

Under U.S. law, a government must have "repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism" in order to be included on the Sponsors of Terrorism list.

While North Korea is widely regarded as one of the most oppressive governments in the world with respect to its own people, its involvement with international terrorism is less prominent.

白宮國家安全顧問星期四表示，美國正在考慮把朝鮮列入支持恐怖主義國家名單。此舉意味著對這個極權主義政府施加更多的財務和外交壓力。

美國國務院星期四面臨國會規定的最后期限，對幾位聯邦參議員要求把朝鮮重新列入支持恐怖主義國家名單做出回應。目前，這個名單上的國家只有伊朗、敘利亞和蘇丹。

到星期四下午，美國國務院還沒有宣布其決定，但是白宮國家安全顧問麥克馬斯特將軍表示，美國仍在考慮采取這一舉措。

在考慮做出這一決定之際，川普總統準備啟程對亞洲五國進行訪問。預計訪問期間朝鮮問題將是主要議題。

朝鮮特工炸毀一架韓國民航航班，導致115人喪生后，美國1988年曾將朝鮮列入支持恐怖國家名單。但是在平壤當局達到一項核裁軍協議所規定的若干標準之后，美國在2008年將朝鮮挪出了這個名單。

此后不久，六方朝核談判破裂，朝鮮宣布這項去核協議無效。自從那時起，朝鮮又實施了5次核試驗，并堅持發展其彈道導彈項目，違反了聯合國安理會的幾項決議。

按照美國法律，只有當一個國家的政府“一再為國際恐怖主義行為提供支持”時，才能把它列入支恐名單。

雖然朝鮮當局被廣泛認為是世界上對本國國民壓制最深的政府之一，但是其參與國際恐怖主義的行為卻不是很明顯。