US Pompeo: North Korea sanctions to remain in place - Reuters

As reported by Reuters, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced on Thursday that US sanctions on North Korea would remain in totality until complete denuclearization is attained in North Korea.

The move contradicts statements from North Korea, which believes that the agreed-to process would be reciprocal and happen in phases.

North Korean state media reported on Wednesday that Kim and Trump had recognized the principle of “step-by-step and simultaneous action” to achieve peace and denuclearisation on the Korean peninsula. The summit statement provided no details on when North Korea would give up its nuclear weapons program or how the dismantling might be verified.

Skeptics of how much the meeting achieved pointed to the North Korean leadership’s long-held view that nuclear weapons are a bulwark against what it fears are U.S. plans to overthrow it and unite the Korean peninsula.

 - Reuters