UN Examining Letter From N. Korea Envoy Regarding US Seizure Of Vessel - Spokesman

The United Nations is examining a letter from Pyongyang related to the US seizure of a North Korean vessel, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Monday

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 20th May, 2019) The United Nations is examining a letter from Pyongyang related to the US seizure of a North Korean vessel, UN Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said during a press briefing on Monday.

"I can confirm that we received the letter... in fact, [it] has been distributed strictly, as requested, as the document of the Security Council. We are, obviously, studying the letter - it relates to the issue of sanctions on the DPRK [the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name] and actions taken on the implementation of those sanctions," Dujarric said.

On Saturday, media reported that North Korea's permanent representative to the UN, Kim Song, in a letter to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described the recent seizure of a North Korean cargo ship by US forces as an "outrageous and unlawful" act.

Earlier in May, the US Justice Department said that the United States seized the vessel, known as Wise Honest, for allegedly engaging in illicit coal shipments in violation of US and UN sanctions.

Since 2018, North Korea has been engaged in denuclearization talks with the United States. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump expressed their commitment for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula during talks in Singapore last June. However recent negotiations between the two leaders in Vietnam collapsed due to disagreements over the timing of sanctions relief.