South Korean President: Sanctions on North Korea Will Continue

On Wednesday, the President of South Korea stated that the sanctions on North Korea will not be lifted due to the upcoming summit between the two countries, while China reiterated that dialogue is the only solution to the nuclear crisis. According to Reuters, South Korean officials who met with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Monday reported that he expressed willingness to halt nuclear programs if the security of his country and regime is guaranteed. U.S. President Donald Trump also mentioned that North Korea's promise to stop nuclear and missile tests during negotiations seems 'sincere.' In recent months, tensions had escalated to the highest level in years due to North Korea's missile and nuclear tests, violations of UN Security Council resolutions, and a severe verbal conflict between Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump. However, tensions have somewhat eased with North Korea's participation in last month's Winter Olympics. Moon Jae-in, the President of South Korea, stated, 'From the news and Twitter, it can be concluded that President Trump's reaction to the results of our officials' visit to North Korea is positive. Nevertheless, since this is just the beginning, I believe we are not yet in a position to be optimistic.' He added that there are no plans to reduce sanctions and said, 'Just because negotiations have taken place between the two Koreas does not mean that international sanctions will be eased.' Mr. Moon further addressed South Korean political party leaders, as published by the presidential office, stating that South Korea's goal is the denuclearization of North Korea and nothing less. According to Chung Eui-yong, head of the delegation that visited North Korea, the first meeting of the leaders of the two Koreas since 2007 will take place next month. Reuters adds that leaders of other countries have also reacted cautiously to this development, well aware that previous negotiations to prevent the development of North Korea's nuclear and missile programs ended in failure. The last round of negotiations known as the 'Six-Party Talks,' involving both Koreas, Japan, Russia, and the U.S., hosted by China, ended fruitlessly in 2009, with North Korea condemning U.S. aggressive policies. South Korean officials who recently met with Kim Jong-un will travel to Washington on Thursday. The head of this delegation stated that he has an oral message from the North Korean leader for U.S. officials, but it is still unclear whether he will meet with Donald Trump. After returning from the U.S., he will go to China and Russia, and the head of South Korea's National Security Office will also travel to Tokyo to inform Japanese officials about recent developments. Donald Trump told reporters, 'The statements released in South Korea and North Korea are generally positive.' When asked if he has any conditions for negotiations, he replied, 'I don't want to talk about that. We'll see what happens.' Vice President Mike Pence also stated that as long as North Korea does not take practical steps towards denuclearization, the U.S. will continue its 'maximum pressure' policy against the country and 'all options' will be considered.