N. Korea says sanctions relief is 'touchstone' for U.S. commitment to Korean Peninsula denuclearization
The North's official Korean Central News Agency made the claim in a commentary, saying the country has taken concrete denuclearization steps even though the U.S. did nothing to reduce the nuclear threats it poses to the North, despite their agreement to the denuclearization of the entire Korean Peninsula, not just North Korea.
It is the latest in a series of appeals that the North has been making in recent weeks to pressure the U.S. to relieve sanctions in exchange for the denuclearization steps Pyongyang has taken so far, such as blowing up its nuclear testing site.
The U.S. is insisting on maintaining the restrictions until the North's denuclearization.
"What we are demanding as reciprocal measures from the U.S. is not something difficult to decide or hard to carry out," the Korean-language commentary said. "We are asking them to end hostile policy toward the DPRK and lift unfair sanctions, which are things the U.S. can do without lifting a finger if it decides to do so."
It claimed that the North has survived sanctions for decades and won't flinch even in the face of stronger sanctions. Still, the country is demanding sanctions relief because it is a "touchstone for determining the seriousness of the U.S. about denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," KCNA said.
The commentary came a day after the U.S. expressed a willingness to allow American citizens to travel to North Korea for aid delivery in an apparent effort to break the impasse in their talks. The commentary could suggest that the proposal is not satisfactory enough for the North to move the denuclearization process forward.