Pyongyang made 'realistic proposal' at summit: N Korea Foreign Minister
North Korea today said it had offered to dismantle its Yongbyon nuclear plant in exchange for partial sanctions relief at Kim Jong-un's summit with US President Donald Trump, after the meeting ended without agreement. In a highly unusual late-night statement at the North Korean delegation's hotel, foreign minister Ri Yong-ho said Pyongyang had made a "realistic proposal" at the summit in Hanoi, Vietnam.
If US releases partial sanctions, we'll permanently dismantle facilities: Ri
Ri denied Trump's assertion that Pyongyang had demanded the lifting of all sanctions imposed on it over its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs. "If the US releases partial sanctions namely...those that hamper the civilian economy and the livelihood of our people, we'll permanently and completely dismantle all the nuclear production facilities in the Yongbyon area, in the presence of US experts," he said.
We couldn't remove all sanctions, said Trump in press conference
The minister was reading a statement after the two-day Trump-Kim talks closed with no final deal and the US president gave a press conference before flying out of Vietnam. North Korea's leaders wanted the sanctions lifted completely, and we couldn't do that, Trump had said. The summit between the two leaders ended with no agreement reached and a scheduled signing ceremony was dropped.
