North Korean officials are calling for the U. S. to drop economic sanctions against the country in exchange for what Pyongyang says were recent gestures of goodwill. What did they say? The Rodong Sinmun \u2014 a newspaper run by the ruling Workers’ Party \u2014\u00a0 published an editorial Monday accusing Washington<\/b>
\nNorth Korean officials are calling for the U. S. to drop economic sanctions against the country in exchange for what Pyongyang says were recent gestures of goodwill.
The Rodong Sinmun \u2014 a newspaper run by the ruling Workers\u2019 Party \u2014\u00a0 published an editorial Monday accusing Washington of \u201cacting opposite\u201d from its promises to work on improving relations with North Korea, saying that Pyongyang had showed good faith by agreeing to denuclearize and by returning the remains of U. S. soldiers killed in the Korean War.
\u201cThere have been outrageous arguments coming out of the U. S. State Department that it won\u2019t ease sanctions until a denuclearization is completed, and reinforcing sanctions is a way to raise its negotiating power,\u201d the paper stated,\u00a0 Business Insider reported. \u201cHow could the sanctions, which were a stick the U. S. administration had brandished as part of its hostile policy against us, promote the two countries\u2019 amity?\u201d
Over the weekend, Fox News reported, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho said that while his country has \u201cinitiated goodwill measures\u201d such as a \u201cmoratorium on the nuclear test and rocket launch test and dismantling of nuclear test ground,\u201d and added that the U. S. has gone \u201cback to the old, far from its leader\u2019s intention.\u201d
While the remains of the soldiers received from North Korea were \u201cconsistent with being Americans,\u201d Fox News said, forensic testing is still underway.
But,\u00a0 according to Reuters, a confidential U. N. report released Friday said that North Korea has not stopped its nuclear missile programs, as promised. The report also revealed that Pyongyang \u201ccontinued to defy Security Council resolutions through a massive increase in illicit ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products, as well as the through transfers of coal at sea during 2018.\u201d
North Korea, The Guardian noted, has repeatedly circumvented sanctions with the help of their closest allies, China and Russia.
Addressing the U. N.\u2019s findings, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday, \u201cIf these reports prove accurate, and we have every reason to believe that they are, that would be in violation.\u201d
Pompeo pointed out that the sanctions against North Korea had been unanimously supported by the U. N. Security Council.
\u201cI want to remind every nation that has supported these resolutions that this is a serious issue and something we will discuss with Moscow,\u201d he said.
\u201cWe expect the Russians and all countries to abide to the U. N. Security Council resolutions and enforce sanctions on North Korea,\u201d he continued. \u201cAny violation that detracts from the world\u2019s goal of finally, fully denuclearizing North Korea would be something that America would take very seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n