US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday that pressure on the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) must be maintained as concerns mount in the US regarding the "slow" progress the country is making toward denuclearization.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the 51st ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Singapore, the US top diplomat called for "maintaining diplomatic and economic pressure" on Pyongyang to achieve "final denuclearization."
"It's worth remembering that this is not only America's security goal. It is clear our partner alliances within ASEAN know the importance of the denuclearization of North Korea (DPRK) on our own security," Pompeo said. "I called on them to strictly force all sanctions, including the complete shutdown of petroleum to North Korea (DPRK)."
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (L, center) confers with Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha (R, center) in Singapore, August 4, 2018. /Reuters Photo
He asked Russia to abide by United Nations Security Council resolutions on the DPRK, amid reports that Moscow is violating sanctions by granting job permits to workers from the DPRK.
The United States slapped sanctions Friday on a Russian bank for helping Pyongyang evade punitive measures from the UN designed to curb its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) said it also targeted an individual and two entities for "facilitating North Korean illicit financial activity."
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During a historic summit between US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12, the two sides agreed to "join their efforts to build a lasting and stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula." Meanwhile, the DPRK pledged to "work towards complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
On Friday, Chinese State Councilor Wang Yi met with DPRK Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho in Singapore, saying that China will continue to work with all relevant parties to help push forward the denuclearization process of the peninsula.
Wang, Ri and Pompeo will attend the ASEAN Regional Forum on Saturday afternoon.
(With inputs from agencies)
