South Korean officials on Thursday backpedaled on their foreign minister\u2019s proposal to lift unilateral sanctions from North Korea after backla South Korean officials on Thursday backpedaled on their\u00a0foreign minister\u2019s proposal to lift unilateral sanctions from North Korea after backlash within the country and from U. S. President Donald Trump.<\/b>
\nSouth Korean officials on Thursday backpedaled on their\u00a0foreign minister\u2019s proposal to lift unilateral sanctions from North Korea after backlash within the country and from U. S. President Donald Trump. On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha told South Korean lawmakers the government was reviewing sanctions the South imposed on the North in 2010 following a deadly attack on a warship that killed 45 South Korean sailors. North Korea has long denied responsibility for the attack. In a statement, South Korea\u2019s Foreign Ministry later said the government has not started a \u201cfull-fledged review\u201d of the sanctions.
When asked about Kang\u2019s comments, Trump said South Korea would need approval from the United States before making such a move: \u201cThey won\u2019t do it without our approval. They do nothing without our approval.\u201d Trump has repeatedly called on U. S. allies to maintain \u201cmaximum pressure\u201d on North Korea to encourage denuclearization. South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon on Thursday told parliamentary auditors the government has not given serious consideration to lifting the sanctions, especially as North Korea still denies it staged the attack.<\/p>\n