A new public broadside by North Korean officials against US-backed sanctions highlights the tough road ahead as negotiators prepare for talks in the wake of Sunday’s meeting between Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“NORTH KOREA WANTS ACTIONS NOT WORDS”
Media reports out of Washington have suggested the Trump administration may be willing to seek a partial deal to dismantle at least part of North Korea’s nuclear program.
But ahead of what would be the first significant talks since Trump and Kim failed to reach a deal at a summit in February in Hanoi, analysts say progress is unlikely unless Washington is prepared to ease some sanctions.
North Korea’s exports to China, its main market, dropped nearly 90 percent last year, according data from Beijing, and a report this week by the Seoul-based Korea Development Institute said sanctions had put the country on a path for economic crisis.
“North Korea wants actions, not words,” said Christopher Green, a Korea expert at the International Crisis Group. “I’m not sure the US is mentally ready for it, even now.”
After Trump met with Kim at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between the two Koreas, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told reporters a fresh round of negotiations with North Korean foreign ministry diplomats will likely happen “sometime in July”.