South Korean president assures political rivals that North Korea sanctions will continue

South Korea will continue imposing sanctions on North Korea, despite warmer relations between the two states which agreed to hold an inter-Korean summit for the first time in more than a decade.


South Korean President Moon Jae-in said Wednesday in a meeting with major political leaders that Seoul won't ease sanctions on North Korea for the sake of holding an inter-Korean summit.

"Seoul is not in a position to unilaterally repeal independent sanctions," he said, noting that the current sanctions on the North have been imposed by the U.N. Security Council and the United States. "The inter-Korean summit will be held within the framework of international sanctions and pressure."

The president also said that issues surrounding North Korean's nuclear and missile program do not concern just the two Koreas but also the U.S. and the international community.

"The capacity of inter-Korean summit can broaden only if there are developments in regards to U.S.-North Korea talks," he said.

He addressed concerns that the North may continue developing its nuclear and missile technology, saying that denuclearization is the ultimate goal.

"Our goal is denuclearization. We cannot settle for nonproliferation or a nuclear freeze," Moon said, according to Yonhap.
  (UPI)
 7/3/18
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