North Korea threatens to resume nuclear development due to economic sanctions

Seoul, South Korea – North Korea warned that it could revive a state policy aimed at strengthening its nuclear arsenal if the United States did not lift economic sanctions against the country. In a statement released Friday night by the Foreign Ministry, North Korea may resume its "pyongjin" policy of simultaneously advancing its nuclear force and economic development if the United States does not change its position. "Pyongjin" means "double advancement".

The North has not threatened to abandon the ongoing nuclear talks with Washington. Yet he accused Washington of derailing the commitments made by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump to their June summit in Singapore work towards a Korean peninsula without nuclear.

This is the first time the North says it can resume weapons testing and other development activities since Kim announced a new national policy in April.

In an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News on Friday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced his intention to meet with his North Korean counterpart next week, apparently referring to North Korean top official Kim Yong Chol. Pompeo has not indicated the location and date of the meeting, which will likely aim to persuade North Korea to take stronger action in favor of denuclearization and to hold a second summit between their leaders.

"There is still a lot of work to be done, but I am confident that we will keep the economic pressure in place until President Kim respects the commitment he made to President Trump in June. in Singapore, "said Pompeo.

The statement of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of North Korea, published under the name of the director of the US Institute of American Studies, said that "the improvement of relations and sanctions is inconsistent" .

"The United States believes that their often repeated" sanctions and pressures "lead to" denuclearization. "We can not help but laugh at such a stupid idea," he said. The ministry described the lifting of sanctions imposed by the United States as a corresponding action to the "proactive and goodwill measures" of the North, apparently making reference to its unilateral suspension of nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and to the closure of a nuclear test site.

After a series of provocative nuclear tests and missile tests last year, Kim turned to diplomacy when he met with Trump between three summits with the south president. Korean Moon Jae-in, who has lobbied hard to revive nuclear diplomacy. However, the North has been playing hard since the peaks, insisting that sanctions should be lifted before any progress in the nuclear negotiations, fueling doubts about Kim 's ability to eliminate a nuclear program that has not been implemented. he considered his greatest guarantee of survival.

Before his first summit with Moon in April, Kim said the country should focus more on economic development, with the "pyongjin" policy having won a "big victory". He also said the North would stop testing nuclear and long-range missiles. The North dismantled its nuclear test center in May, but did not invite experts to observe and verify the event.

In September, North Korea's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ri Yong Ho, told the UN General Assembly that it was "impossible" for his country to disarm its nuclear weapons first and foremost. He can not trust Washington, Pamela Falk of CBS News. reported. "Without confidence in the United States, there will be no confidence in our national security and, in such circumstances, we will never be able to unilaterally disarm ourselves first," Ri said.

"The perception that sanctions can put us on our knees is a pipe dream for people who are unaware of our existence," said Ri. "The problem is that ongoing sanctions reinforce our mistrust."

Friday's statement said: "If the United States continues to behave arrogantly without showing any change in its position, without properly understanding our repeated demand, the DPRK could add something to state policy. aiming to concentrate all efforts on the economic construction adopted in April as a result, the word "pyongjin" may appear again. "The statement referred to North Korea under its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.