North Korea has denied claims that US-led sanctions are what encouraged it to seek international peace talks, and experts say it was arrogance to…
North Korea has denied claims that US-led sanctions are what encouraged it to seek international peace talks, and experts say it was arrogance to ever think that was the case.
According to the state-run news agency KCNA, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday vehemently pushed back against talk that North Korea proposed denuclearization because of US-led sanctions crippling the country.
The spokesperson said the US is misleading public opinion over the sanctions and is a « dangerous attempt to ruin » international dialogue which risks taking the situation « back to square one. »
» The US is deliberately provoking the DPRK at the time when the situation on the Korean peninsula is moving toward peace and reconciliation thanks to the historic north-south summit and the Panmunjom Declaration, » the spokesperson said, using an acronym for North Korea’s official name.
« It would not be conducive to addressing the issue if the US miscalculates the peace-loving intention of the DPRK as a sign of ‘weakness’ and continues to pursue its pressure and military threats against the latter. »
UN sanctions ban exports of coal, iron, seafood, and textiles and limit imports of crude oil, an attempt to cut funding for Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
