US President Donald Trump has rolled out fresh sanctions against North Korea-linked shipping assets, hailing the package as the "heaviest sanctions ever" levied on the Pyongyang regime.

Trump used a speech to conservatives just outside Washington to step up his campaign of "maximum pressure" designed to force North Korea to roll back its weapons programs.

"We imposed today the heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country before," Trump claimed at the end of a lengthy campaign-style address Friday.

In light of past US embargoes, that is likely an overstatement, but Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin confirmed the sanctions covered "virtually all the ships" North Korea is "using at this moment in time."

Speaking to reporters in Pyeongchang Saturday on a visit to the Winter Olympics, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said: "Hopefully we'll see a change on the part of the North Koreans to start to denuclearise the peninsula, that's what our focus is."

She added: "I can tell you the president won't make the mistakes the previous administration has and be soft or weak."

Trump's administration is locked in a nuclear standoff with Pyongyang, which is trying to develop missiles that could deliver an atomic weapon to major US cities.

The latest sanctions are designed to put the squeeze on North Korea's already precarious economy and fuel supply.

In his speech Friday Trump had been expected to provide details of measures that target "56 vessels, shipping companies, and trade businesses," but skipped that part of his prepared remarks.

"Frankly hopefully something positive can happen," he said instead.

During a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, Trump said sanctions were only the first step.

"If the sanctions don't work, we'll have to go to phase two. Phase two may be a very rough thing," he said, without elaborating.

Mnuchin said there were signs the punitive measures were starting to have an impact, but did not elaborate.

The North Korean military and broader economy depend heavily on imports of coal and oil from China and Russia.

China, Pyongyang's only major ally, has steadfastly rebuffed Washington's calls for a full oil embargo -- fearing the chaotic collapse of the Pyongyang regime -- but has accepted caps agreed at the United Nations.

- Reaffirming ties with Seoul -

The timing of the new measures coincides with the arrival in South Korea of Trump's daughter Ivanka.

She is attending the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics, which have taken place against the backdrop of the crisis.

The 36-year-old businesswoman and now top aide to her father has been tasked with reaffirming US ties with South Korea, which have been strained over how to deal with the North.

She was hosted in Seoul by President Moon Jae-in, who has long advocated talks rather than confrontation with North Korea.

"Mrs. Trump delivered a personal message to President Moon from President Trump about today's North Korea related sanctions announcement at a small meeting at the Blue House," the White House said.

"They also discussed the continued effort on the joint maximum pressure campaign against North Korea."

South Korean officials, who sit in a capital well within range of conventional North Korea artillery, have been spooked by Trump's talk of military confrontation.

US officials worry meanwhile that North Korea is luring Moon into talks that are designed to go nowhere.

North Korea's delegation at the closing ceremony will be headed by top general Kim Yong Chol, who is widely blamed for a series of attacks against the South including the 2010 sinking of a warship, with the loss of 46 lives.

The White House spokeswoman said Ivanka would probably sit apart from the North Korean delegation at Sunday's closing ceremony.

Relatives protest visit by N. Korea general blamed for warship sinking
Seoul (AFP) Feb 24, 2018 - Angry relatives of sailors killed in the 2010 sinking of a South Korean warship protested Saturday against the impending visit to the Winter Olympics of a North Korean general blamed for the attack.

Relatives of the 46 killed on the Cheonan corvette urged Seoul to scrap the visit by Kim Yong Chol who will head an eight-member delegation at the Games' closing ceremony Sunday.

US President Donald Trump's eldest daughter and key adviser Ivanka will also attend the event, creating protocol headaches for Seoul officials.

Kim is widely blamed for a spate of attacks against the South including the torpedoing nearly eight years ago of the corvette. He has also been linked to the shelling of the South's Yeonpyeong island the same year, which killed four people.

"Execute Kim Yong Chol," chanted a group of some 30 relatives of the Cheonan victims at a rally in a Seoul city centre square.

"North Korea accept the responsibility for the atrocity and apologise," they shouted, waving banners and portraits of Kim marked with a red cross.

The conservative opposition Liberty Korea Party also repeated its objection to Kim's visit, vowing to hold a massive protest on Monday.

"We can never allow a visit by a Hitler-like war criminal, the main culprit of the attack against the Cheonan," party leader Hong Joon-Pyo wrote on his Facebook account.

Thousands of demonstrators staging their weekly protest for the release of jailed former president Park Geun-Hye also threw their weight behind the campaign against the controversial visit, calling for the general's arrest and execution.

Unification ministry spokesman Baek Tae-hyun has said the government was aware of widespread misgivings about the visit, but accepted it as the "chances for improving inter-Korean ties and a peace settlement might be improved".

Seoul blames the North for the sinking of the Cheonan -- widely believed in the South to have been ordered by Kim Yong Chol -- although Pyongyang denies responsibility.

At the time he was head of the North's Reconnaissance General Bureau, which is responsible for espionage and sabotage activities against the South.

Baek said the sinking of the Cheonan was "certainly the North's work" but it was difficult to pinpoint who was directly responsible.

The North's high-level delegation led by Kim will include foreign ministry officials who handle relations with the US and the nuclear issue, raising hopes that Pyongyang is willing to discuss the nuclear issue during this visit, Yonhap news agency said.

"We're, therefore, looking forward to a message from the North," a government official was quoted as saying.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in is likely to meet the delegation but the White House ruled out the possibility of talks between Kim and US representatives.

Instead, Washington warned Pyongyang of "maximum pressure" towards denuclearisation on Saturday, hours after hitting the defiant North with what President Trump said were the "heaviest sanctions ever".

The general's visit comes shortly after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un expressed "great satisfaction" over a visit to the Olympics opening ceremony by a high level delegation which included his sister Kim Yo Jong.

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Japan reports suspected North Korea sanctions breach
Tokyo (AFP) Feb 21, 2018
Japan has reported a new suspected sanctions violation by Pyongyang to the UN after spotting an apparent cargo transfer between a ship marked with Chinese characters and a North Korean vessel, the Japanese foreign ministry said. The incident is the third time this year that Tokyo has reported a cargo transfer by a North Korean vessel in violation of UN sanctions over Pyongyang's banned nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Japan's foreign ministry said late Tuesday a military patrol plane an ... read more