South Korean president: Trump is the only capable negotiator

On Thursday, the United States imposed sanctions on a network of arms dealers and financiers who secure funding for North Korean weapons programs, including five individuals and organizations such as the Korea Mining Development Trading Corporation (KOMID) and the General Reconnaissance Bureau (RGB).

These organizations use fictitious foreign companies to conceal foreign revenues that flow back illegally to Pyongyang. The sanctions also target a network of dealers who broker arms between North Korea and the military regime in Myanmar.

South Korean President Lee Jae-myung said North Korea has enough nuclear weapons to sustain its regime and is in the final stages of developing intercontinental ballistic missiles.

He stressed that it would be sensible to suspend further production of nuclear warheads and expressed hope that President Donald Trump was the only negotiating partner capable of moving the negotiations forward.

North Korea, led by Kim Jong-un, rejects complete denuclearization and claims that nuclear weapons are essential for its security in the face of threats from the US and South Korea.

Kim also stated that sanctions do not weaken his regime but strengthen it, and he rejects negotiations on the condition of complete denuclearization.

(reuters, sie)