DPRK urges U.S. to return seized ship without delay

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has said that the U.S. seizure of its ship directly violates the June 12 summit agreement, state media KCNA reported, adding that the DPRK will keep a sharp eye on U.S. behavior going forward.

Last week, the U.S. seized a DPRK cargo ship accusing it of violating international sanctions amid a tense moment in relations between the two countries.

"The United States carried out an illegal act of robbery by seizing our cargo ship citing UN Security Council sanctions resolutions," a spokesperson for the DPRK's foreign ministry said in a statement carried by KCNA.

The move was an "extension of U.S. calculation" to bring Pyongyang to its knees through maximum pressure, he said.

"The U.S. must realize the consequence of its gangster-like actions ... and must return our ship without delay," the statement added.

It was the first time a DPRK cargo vessel had been seized by the U.S. for sanctions violations.

(Top image: An undated surveillance image provided in a U.S. Department of Justice complaint about forfeiture released May 9, 2019, shows what is described as DPRK cargo ship Wise Honest being loaded with coal in Nampo, DPRK. /Reuters Photo)