North Korea denounces ship seizure by US

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – North Korea on Tuesday hit out at the U.S. for seizing its cargo ship, terming it an illegal act that violated spirit of the summit held between the leaders last year.

The state-run media ran a statement by an unnamed North Korean foreign ministry official accusing the U.S. of committing an “unlawful robbery”. Warning consequences, Pyongyang also demanded immediate return of its ship.

Last week, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it has seized the North Korea’s cargo ship known as the "Wise Honest “, carrying coal shipments in violation of the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council. The ship was taken to American Samoa – U.S. controlled island in the South Pacific Ocean.

"The latest U.S. act constitutes an extension of the American method of calculation for bringing the DPRK to its knees by means of maximum pressure and an outright denial of the underlying spirit of the June 12, DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement,” the official said.

DPRK stands for Democratic People’s Republic of Korea which is official name of North Korea.

The official also rejected the UN Security Council resolutions that have imposed sanctions on the country and said the impounding of the vessel amounted to violation of its sovereignty.

“It would be the biggest miscalculation if the U.S. believed it can control the North with force,” the statement said. It further said that North Korea will keep a sharp eye on future U.S. behavior.

The statement further said that the U.S. was forcing other countries into observance of its domestic law. “It is indeed a wanton violation of the universally accepted international laws which make clear that in no case can a sovereign state be an object of jurisdiction of other countries,” the statement added.

“The time when the U.S. held sway over the world at its own free will is gone long ago, and it would be a biggest miscalculation if the U.S. thought that the DPRK is among the countries where the American-style logic of strength might work for,” the statement said.

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un held an unprecedented meeting for the first time in Singapore on June 12 last year, marking their first summit to discuss denuclearization of Korean peninsula. They held a second summit in Vietnam in February which collapsed without agreement.

Since then tensions have again mounted. Ahead of the U.S. announcement of seizure of the ship, North Korea fired two short-range missiles on last Thursday.