U.S. to examine if inter-Korean liaison office violates sanctions

U.S. President Donald Trump said adding new sanctions against North Korea is to accelerate denuclearization progress.

President Trump said during an interview with Fox News on Thursday (local time) that the United States is imposing heavy sanctions against North Korea and it added new sanctions because it wants North Korea to speed up the denuclearization process. By making the remark, President Trump emphasized the principle that there will be no sanctions relief without concrete steps toward denuclearization.

Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department did not deny the possibility of violation of sanctions by the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong. When asked if South Korea’s provision of oil and energy is violation of sanctions against North Korea, State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said the United States “would take a look at all of that.” She added that President Moon said not too long ago that “the improvement of relations between the North and the South cannot advance separately from resolving North Korea’s nuclear program.” In this respect, a Cheong Wa Dae official said opening an inter-Korean office in Kaesong is not something that we need approval from the United States.


Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com · Yong Park parky@donga.com