North Korea demands sanctions relief before any nuclear concessions

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is undermining the prospects for successful negotiations to dismantle North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un’s nuclear weapons program, a regime diplomat alleged Saturday.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho denounced U.S. calls for the world to maintain sanctions pressure — a mainstay of Pompeo’s diplomacy — as being inconsistent with President Trump’s position on the talks. Likewise, he maintained that the U.S. hasn’t responded appropriately to North Korea’s “moratorium on nuclear tests and rocket launch tests” and apparent step to dismantle a missile factory.