N. Korea demands U.S. implement Singapore summit agreement

WASHINGTON, Nov. 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea's ambassador to the United Nations on Monday urged the United States to implement last year's agreement between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump, saying the two countries have made little progress in their relations because of "political and military provocations" by the U.S.

Ambassador Kim Song leveled the criticism during a speech at a U.N. General Assembly meeting on the International Atomic Energy Agency, an organization he accused of "ignorance of the prevailing reality of the Korean Peninsula," according to the Associated Press.

Kim Jong-un and Trump held their first summit in Singapore in June 2018 and agreed to "work toward" complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in exchange for U.S. security guarantees.

The two leaders also agreed to establish new relations between their countries and build a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, but progress has been slow amid differences over how much the North should denuclearize in order to receive sanctions relief and other U.S. concessions.

The ambassador said "the situation of the Korean Peninsula has not extricated itself from the vicious cycle of aggravated tension," according to the AP. He also said this is "entirely attributable to the political and military provocations perpetrated by the U.S."

North Korea has protested military exercises between South Korea and the U.S., viewing them as an invasion rehearsal. In recent months, it has resumed testing of short-range ballistic missiles while refraining from the nuclear and long-range missile tests it last conducted in 2017.

Citing that suspension, Kim Song said his country has made "proactive efforts in good faith ... to establish a lasting peace regime on the Korean Peninsula."

He also said the implementation of the Singapore agreement is "the key" to consolidating peace and security, according to the AP.

The two countries last held working-level negotiations in Sweden in October, but failed to reach any agreement. The North has warned it will wait only until the end of the year for the U.S. to come up with an acceptable proposal.

Meanwhile, the ambassador also accused South Korea of "double-dealing behavior," saying inter-Korean relations have been at a standstill because Seoul appears to offer peace initiatives while escalating military preparedness, the AP said.

hague@yna.co.kr
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