U.S. still hopes to achieve North Korea's full denuclearization by early 2021: Official
- 5 years ago
It's been a week since the second North Korea-U.S. summit.... and we're continuing to hear various behind-the-scenes stories from the summit.
And in the latest development,... a senior U.S. official says,.... Washington still hopes to achieve the North's denuclearization over the coming years.
Lee Ji-won has more.
The U.S. believes the final, fully, verified denuclearization of North Korea is still achievable before the end of President Trump's first term in office, which is January 2021.
A senior State Department official told reporters Thursday that the U.S. has discussed the timeline, and at this point, Washington believes there's sufficient time to achieve this.
The official added denuclearization includes taking out all the key parts of the North's nuclear fuel cycle, all of the fissile material, nuclear warheads, intercontinental ballistic missiles and permanently freezing any other weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological.
The official also discussed sanctions on the North,... saying they will remain in place, but they could get tougher should President Trump choose to strengthen them.
On the inter-Korean projects, the official said the U.S. is not considering giving exemptions.
This is likely on the reopening of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and the resumption of South Korean tours to the North's Geumgangsan Mountain,... which the South has been pushing to resume while abiding by international sanctions.
On recent reports about activity at the North's Dongchang-ri missile facility,... the official said the Trump administration is still trying to determine exactly what North Korea is doing, but did not necessarily agree with those who say the activity is a sign of North Korea's discontent following the Hanoi summit.
Though careful not to downplay the concerns,... the official also said the Sohae facility is not a critical part of North Korea's nuclear infrastructure, but it does need to be dismantled during the denuclearization process.
As the tug-of-war between North Korea and the U.S. is likely to continue for a while,... the official said it's now up to the North, to some extent, to decide to engage on the expectations of its denuclearization.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
And in the latest development,... a senior U.S. official says,.... Washington still hopes to achieve the North's denuclearization over the coming years.
Lee Ji-won has more.
The U.S. believes the final, fully, verified denuclearization of North Korea is still achievable before the end of President Trump's first term in office, which is January 2021.
A senior State Department official told reporters Thursday that the U.S. has discussed the timeline, and at this point, Washington believes there's sufficient time to achieve this.
The official added denuclearization includes taking out all the key parts of the North's nuclear fuel cycle, all of the fissile material, nuclear warheads, intercontinental ballistic missiles and permanently freezing any other weapons of mass destruction, including chemical and biological.
The official also discussed sanctions on the North,... saying they will remain in place, but they could get tougher should President Trump choose to strengthen them.
On the inter-Korean projects, the official said the U.S. is not considering giving exemptions.
This is likely on the reopening of the Gaeseong Industrial Complex and the resumption of South Korean tours to the North's Geumgangsan Mountain,... which the South has been pushing to resume while abiding by international sanctions.
On recent reports about activity at the North's Dongchang-ri missile facility,... the official said the Trump administration is still trying to determine exactly what North Korea is doing, but did not necessarily agree with those who say the activity is a sign of North Korea's discontent following the Hanoi summit.
Though careful not to downplay the concerns,... the official also said the Sohae facility is not a critical part of North Korea's nuclear infrastructure, but it does need to be dismantled during the denuclearization process.
As the tug-of-war between North Korea and the U.S. is likely to continue for a while,... the official said it's now up to the North, to some extent, to decide to engage on the expectations of its denuclearization.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.