It became clearer, that the main reason the trip to Pyongyang by America's top diplomat
was cancelled last minute... was a message from Pyongyang.
The gist of it was this: don't come unless you have something for us.
Lee Ji-won sheds light on the deal-breaker of a letter.
It appears U.S. President Donald Trump didn't have a choice but to call off his Secretary
of State's fourth visit to Pyongyang as Washington had "nothing to offer" the regime.
Citing an unnamed government official, Reuters reported Thursday that the tone of the secret
letter Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of North Korea's Workers' Party's central committee,
sent to the U.S,... was that if Washington is not willing to give something, then Pompeo
shouldn't come.
The regime has been asking the U.S. to declare an end to the Korean War, while the Trump
administration has been pushing Pyongyang for a inventory of its nuclear and missile
programs and other military assets.
The senior official added that the North Koreans seem to be thinking the U.S. is not doing
enough,... which appears to back up a report by U.S.-based media outlet Vox, which said
President Trump promised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a peace treaty sometime soon after
their summit in June.
But the Trump administration continues to insist denuclearization has to take place
before anything else.
Amid concerns over the stalemate, the U.S. remains firm on its restrictions on the regime.
A U.S. State Department official said the department has extended its ban on Americans
traveling to North Korea by another year,... until August 31st 2019.
The reason given for the ban is the concern over the threat of arrest.
U.S. law stipulates that travel restrictions on Americans may be imposed if "there is imminent
danger to the public health or physical safety of U.S. travelers in the country or area."
But it's known that "individuals who wish to travel to or within North Korea for extremely
limited purposes," and whose travel is in the U.S. national interest, can apply for
a "special validation" from the State Department.
There will also be exceptions if the trip is justified by "compelling humanitarian considerations."
The ban was imposed in September last year after the death of American student Otto Warmbier,
who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor by the North after allegedly trying to steal
a propaganda sign.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
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