US president has encouraged allies to maintain sanctions on North Korea until it denuclearises as part of his administration’s ‘maximum pressure’ campaign
US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday South Korea will not lift sanctions on Pyongyang without US approval, after the South Korean foreign minister softened earlier comments that some of its unilateral sanctions were under review.
Trump’s rejection of South Korea easing sanctions alone outlines the official position of the United States and South Korea that the two countries remain in lockstep on North Korea.
He has encouraged US allies to maintain sanctions on North Korea until it denuclearises as part of his administration’s “maximum pressure” campaign against Pyongyang.
Asked about reports South Korea was considering lifting some sanctions against North Korea, Trump said: “They won’t do it without our approval. They do nothing without our approval.”
South Korean foreign minister Kang Kyung-wha suggested during a parliamentary audit on Wednesday that Seoul was considering easing its own sanctions against the North to encourage its denuclearisation.
