US blocks North Korean air traffic revival at ICAO

MONTREAL/SEOUL — The United States has blocked efforts by the United Nations’ International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to improve civil aviation in North Korea at a time when Pyongyang wants to reopen part of its airspace to foreign flights, three sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The US move is part of a negotiating tactic to maintain sanctions pressure on North Korea, one of the sources said, ahead of a second summit between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong Un in Vietnam late this month. ICAO, with 192 member countries, has been working with Pyongyang to open a new air route through North and South Korean airspace. —