Kim kin’s murder: US puts sanctions on North Korea

SEOUL/WASHINGTON: The US has determined Pyongyang used the chemical warfare agent VX to assassinate the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Malaysia in 2017 and has imposed sanctions in response, the US State Department said.

The prohibitions appeared largely symbolic, such as sales to North Korea under the Arms Export Control Act and barring the export of national securitysensitive goods and technology to North Korea, which has no relations with the United States.

State department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the US government made the formal determination about the use of VX on Febuary 22 under the Chemical and Biological Weapons Control and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991.

The additional sanctions on Pyongyang went into effect on March 5 after the finding was formally published in the Federal Register, the official journal of the US government, Nauert said.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson determined North Korea had “used chemical weapons in violation of international law or lethal chemical weapons against its own nationals,” the department said.

Kim’s estranged half-brother, Kim Jong Nam, was killed at the airport in Kuala Lumpur on February

SOUTH KOREAN PRESIDENT SAID THERE CANNOT BE AN ARBITRARY EASING OF SANCTIONS DESPITE ITS MOVE OF HOLDING TALKS WITH THE NORTH

13, 2017.

S KOREA: PRESSURE ON NORTH TO CONTINUE

South Korean President Moon Jae-in said on Wednesday sanctions on North Korea will not be eased for the sake of a summit between the two sides as Chinese state media repeated Beijing’s line that talks are the only way to end the nuclear standoff.

“From looking at the news or Twitter, I believe President Trump is positive about the results of the North Korea visit (by South Korean officials),” Moon told political party leaders.

“However, as this is just the beginning, I believe we are not at a situation yet where we can be optimistic.”

Moon added, “Just because there are talks ongoing between North and South Korea doesn’t mean international sanctions can be eased.”