Seoul, US on same page about N. Korea sanctions: envoy

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) – The U.S. envoy to South Korea said Thursday that sanctions on North Korea will not be lifted until complete denuclearization, ahead of the second summit between Washington and Pyongyang.

According to Yonhap, speaking at a security forum at Seoul, Harry Harris said: “Sanctions will remain in place until North Korea denuclearizes. The United States and our South Korean ally are in complete agreement that sanctions will remain until DPRK denuclearizes.”

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un are set to meet in Hanoi, Vietnam on Feb. 27-28.

Trump and Kim met for a historic summit in Singapore last June where the North Korean leader agreed to work towards “complete denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula but with little clarity on how to achieve the long-elusive goal.

Pyongyang has been stressing that lifting of sanctions will boost trust which will lead to denuclearization.