File photo
North Korea's Foreign Ministry stated Thursday that "one cannot expect any progress in the implementation" of Pyongyang's denuclearization agreement with the U.S. if Washington maintains its emphasis on sanctions.
The reclusive state took steps such as dismantling its nuclear test site even before the unprecedented North Korea-U.S. summit on June 12, but the two sides have still failed to decide any timeline for Pyongyang to give up its existing nukes.
Three South Korean firms imported coal from North Korea disguised as Russian products in violation of U.N. sanctions, South Korea's customs agency said on Friday.South Korea has been examining nine cases of potential imports of North Korean coal, which would breach a resolution passed last August by the U.N. Security Council to choke off funding for Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.Koreas to hold high-level talks on MondaySouth Korean lawmaker raises alarm on North’s coalThe customs service did not specify the number of ships or identify the companies involved, but said 35,0000 tons of coal was brought into South Korea in seven instances since October.It said it would press charges against the firms involved.
Three S Korean firms imported N Korean coal in breach of sanctions
Earlier in the day, the North's official Rodong Sinmun newspaper insisted the first step towards peace should be formally ending the 1950-53 Korean War, but Washington has maintained that Pyongyang must denuclearize before securing either a peace treaty or sanctions relief.
North Korea then released a statement following up on Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho's criticism of the U.S. last weekend for not carrying out simultaneous measures after Pyongyang also allowed the U.S. to pick up war remains last month -- even though Washington did suspend joint military drills with South Korea this summer.
The South and North Korean leaders will hold high-level talks on Monday to review the decisions taken during a meeting on April 27, according to local news agency Yonhap.The summit between officials from South and North Korea will take place in the Joint Security Area of Panmunjom in the South, also known as the truce village, where the 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement that paused the Korean War was signed.North Korea urges US to relent on peace treaty stanceThe South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-Gyon said the preparations for a new summit between South and North Korean leaders will also be discussed during the meeting.On April 27, the leaders of North and South Korea agreed to a “complete denuclearization” and lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.The deal followed a historic bilateral summit between South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Panmunjom.
Koreas to hold high-level talks on Monday
The ministry threatened to hold back on denuclearization "as long as the U.S. denies even the basic decorum for its dialogue partner and clings to the outdated acting script which the previous administrations have all tried and failed," according to a spokesperson quoted by the North's state-run KCNA news agency.
However, the statement offered the U.S. a way forward if it responds sincerely "even at this belated time".
North Korea's state-run media insisted Thursday that officially ending the 1950-53 Korean War is the "first process" if the peninsula is going to achieve peace.The North's Rodong Sinmun newspaper described the need for a formal peace treaty as "the demand of our time" while also lamenting the "abnormal" lack of trust between Washington and Pyongyang.The United States has repeatedly made clear its view that the Korean War should only be closed once North Korea denuclearizes, although the latter sees an official state of peace as a security guarantee from Washington.North Korea's top envoy visits IranTo further complicate the standoff, South Korea already agreed with the North that they will seek to end the war by the end of this year following decades of tensions since an armistice was signed by American, North Korean and Chinese officials in 1953.South Korean lawmaker raises alarm on North’s coalSeoul's presidential office added further pressure Monday when spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom told reporters that South Korea is asking the North to "speed up its denuclearization process" and the U.S. to "show sincere efforts about corresponding measures that North Korea is demanding".Pyongyang has accused Washington of being too focused on sanctions and making "gangster-like demands" since the unprecedented summit between Chairman Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump on June 12.
North Korea urges US to relent on peace treaty stance