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North Korea: "Not Bound by Promise to Suspend Nuclear and ICBM Programs" (Comprehensive)

Advocating for New Paths at Multilateral Talks
Strong Criticism of US Sanctions Policy

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] North Korea has stated that it will not be bound by its promise to halt nuclear tests and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test launches. It also issued a warning that it may take a new path if the United States continues its hostile policy toward North Korea.


According to major foreign media on the 21st (local time), Ju Yong-chol, counselor at North Korea's mission in Geneva, attended the UN Disarmament Conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, and said, "The other party did not honor its promise. We have found no reason to be unilaterally bound by that promise either."


Counselor Ju's remarks are interpreted to mean that since the United States ignored the year-end negotiation deadline proposed by North Korea, North Korea also has no reason to keep its promise not to conduct nuclear tests and ICBM launches. Amid the deadlock in North Korea-US talks, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun have expressed that the year-end negotiation deadline proposed by North Korea is unacceptable.


Counselor Ju also strongly criticized US sanctions against North Korea. He said, "If the United States, which is imposing the most cruel and inhumane sanctions, continues hostile acts, there will be no denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."


He also emphasized that North Korea may take a new path. He stressed, "If the United States insists on unilateral demands and persists with sanctions, North Korea will have no choice but to seek a new path."


This can be seen as a rebuttal to the US, which demands dialogue while continuing additional sanction pressures. The US Treasury Department recently sanctioned companies and accommodations in China related to North Korea's illegal overseas labor dispatch.


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