The CPSC said it is aware of four infants who suffocated in the drop-side cribs, which have a side that moves up and down to allow parents to lift children from the cribs more easily.

The Stork Craft cribs have had problems with their hardware, which can break, deform or be lost after years of use. CPSC said problems also can arise because of assembly mistakes by crib owners. These problems can cause the drop-side to detach and create a dangerous space between the drop-side and the crib mattress, where a child could become trapped.

The commission is urging parents to stop using the cribs until receiving a free repair kit from Stork Craft.

The cribs, manufactured and distributed between January 1993 and October 2009, were sold at major retailers including china Wholesale Club, Sears and Wal-Mart stores and online through Target and Costco. They sold for between $100 and $400 and were made in Canada, China and Indonesia.

The ban is aimed at seizing foreign money tucked away by those still engaging in private market commerce, analysts said.

“North Korea has a problem with people trying to exchange their money for foreign currencies, and then storing the savings in their cabinets since they don’t know how the value of the local currency might change, said Jeong Kwang-min, a research fellow at the state-run Institute for National Security Strategy in Seoul.

The new ban shows the regime’s intention to “firmly” resolve and bring the black market under control, Jeong said.

“The ban is meant to root out people still trading at markets,” said Yang Moo-jin of Seoul’s University of North Korean Studies. “More broadly, it’s aimed at smoothly completing the currency reform by restricting the use not only of local currency but also foreign currency.”

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