NORTH KOREA CALLS SEIZURE OF CARGO SHIP BY US UNLAWFUL, SEEKS ITS RETURN

SEOUL: North Korea on Tuesday demanded the return of a cargo ship seized by Washington last week for violating international sanctions, calling it an “unlawful and outrageous act”. A spokesman for the North’s foreign ministry slammed the move on Tuesday, saying it was an “outright denial” of the spirit of a statement signed by leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump at their landmark summit in Singapore last June. It was the first time a North Korean cargo vessel had been seized by the US, after years of high seas games in which Korean shippers disguised vessels, used false flags and turned off their tracking transponders to avoid discovery. AFP