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North Korea demands return of cargo ship seized by US

May 13, 2019 | 10:23 PM

SEOUL, Korea, Republic Of — North Korea has called the U.S. seizure of a North Korean cargo ship involved in banned coal exports an “unlawful robbery” and demanded the ship to be immediately returned.

Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday carried a statement by an unnamed foreign ministry spokesman who accused the United States of betraying the spirit of a summit agreement last June between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

Kim and Trump then agreed to a vague statement calling for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and improved bilateral ties. Their second meeting collapsed in February over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and disarmament.