North Korea remains on annual US terrorism report

The U.S. State Department building is seen in Washington, D.C., in this file photo from January 2017. Reuters-Yonhap

SEOUL, December 13 (AJP) - North Korea remains on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, according to the U.S. State Department's annual report released on Thursday.

The 2023 Country Reports on Terrorism, which guides U.S. counterterrorism policy, includes North Korea alongside Cuba, Iran, and Syria as countries that sponsor terrorism.

The latest report reiterated its 2017 statement, highlighting that the department "determined that [North Korea] had repeatedly provided support for acts of international terrorism," and added that the rogue state "has failed to take action to address historical support for acts of international terrorism."

First designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1988, North Korea has been included on the list since November 2017, when it was redesignated after being removed in 2008.

Countries designated as state sponsors of terrorism may have their status revoked if the department "determines that the circumstances that led to the designation have changed."