North Korea Warns the U.S.; 'Nuclear Disarmament Could Be Halted Forever'

North Korea condemned the intensification of U.S. sanctions and pressure on the nuclear-armed country on Sunday, December 16, warning that it would resort to 'fire exchanges' and that disarmament in Pyongyang could be halted forever. According to a Reuters report, this strong reaction from North Korea came after Washington announced last Monday that it had imposed sanctions on three officials from the country for human rights violations. One of these officials is a senior advisor to Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea. Nuclear disarmament in North Korea has made little progress since the historic June meeting between Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore. The two countries are set to reschedule working-level negotiations between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean official Kim Yong Chol, which were canceled in November. On Sunday, while praising Trump for his 'willingness' to improve relations with North Korea, Pyongyang accused the U.S. State Department of intending to revert the relations between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the United States to last year's state, which was described as 'fire exchanges.' Trump emphasized that there is 'no rush' to reach an agreement with North Korea. The North Korean Foreign Ministry stated that Washington has imposed sanctions for the eighth time against companies, individuals, and ships not only from North Korea but also from Russia, China, and other countries. The statement added that if the U.S. government thinks it can force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons through increased sanctions and pressure, it is making 'the biggest miscalculation' and will block the path to nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula forever—a result that no one desires. The statement from the North Korean Foreign Ministry was issued by the Director General of Foreign Research at the Institute for American Studies. The United States announced on Monday that it would seize the assets of Cho Ryong Hae, a senior advisor to the North Korean leader, and two others named Jung Kyung Tae, Minister of Security, and Pak Kwang Ho, a propaganda official, due to their roles in human rights violations. Robert Palladino, a spokesman for the U.S. State Department, stated that 'human rights violations in North Korea are among the worst in the world and include extrajudicial killings, forced labor, torture, prolonged arbitrary detention, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence.' Both countries have expressed a desire for the leaders of Pyongyang and Washington to meet again. Mr. Trump welcomed this idea but said he is not in a hurry to do so.