North Korea Says It Seeks the Lifting of Five UN Security Council Resolutions

Following Donald Trump's remarks regarding the failure to reach an agreement with Kim Jong Un at the Hanoi summit, Ri Yong Ho, North Korea's foreign minister, stated on Thursday, March 9, that Pyongyang had a "realistic proposal" to lift five UN Security Council resolutions. The negotiations between the leaders of the United States and North Korea in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, ended without a documented agreement, and the planned "working lunch" was also canceled. In a press conference after the meeting with Kim Jong Un, Trump explained that the North Koreans had asked for the lifting of all "sanctions" in exchange for dismantling the facilities we wanted. The U.S. President also added that the North Korean leader claimed he would dismantle the Yongbyon nuclear facility in exchange for lifting the sanctions. Meanwhile, Ri Yong Ho stated that North Korea was only asking for the lifting of economic sanctions, which he described as a realistic proposal to begin the nuclear disarmament process. Ri added that North Korea's request was for the lifting of Security Council sanctions imposed in 2016 and 2017, which includes five of the eleven resolutions issued against Pyongyang. The North Korean foreign minister emphasized that this proposal was the biggest step toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula based on the current level of trust between the two countries. He further stated, "It is very difficult to say that a better proposal than what we have offered can be made. Such an opportunity may not arise again. We need an initial step toward denuclearization. Our fundamental position will never change, even if the United States seeks further negotiations." Choe Son Hui, North Korea's deputy foreign minister, also told reporters that the U.S. missed an opportunity that comes once in a thousand years by not accepting their proposal. In this context, Sarah Sanders, the White House spokesperson, informed reporters in Alaska while refueling the President's plane that the North Korean foreign minister's remarks had been communicated to the President. This was the second meeting between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, who had met for the first time eight months earlier in Singapore.