N. Korea vows to deal 'serious blow' to foes imposing sanctions

BEIJING -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to deal a "serious blow" to hostile actors imposing sanctions on Pyongyang, state-run media reported Thursday, more than a month after the collapse of the nation's second denuclearization summit with the United States.

Kim was quoted by the Korean Central News Agency as saying the previous day that by pursuing "self-reliance," his country can counter the international economic sanctions designed to thwart Pyongyang's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.

The leader also explained to ruling party members his stance on the summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in late February, the news agency added, but the details are immediately unknown.

Kim's remarks, made at a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea, are apparently aimed at strengthening unity in the nation, as the lifting of the sanctions -- believed to be taking a heavy toll on North Korea's economy -- is not yet in sight.

At their Feb. 27-28 summit in Hanoi, the U.S. and North Korean leaders fell short of bridging the gap between Washington's denuclearization demands and Pyongyang's calls for sanctions relief.

Kim, who has recently promised to build a "powerful socialist economy," asked the United States to ease economic sanctions, arguing that it has already begun to take concrete actions toward denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.

Trump said after the Hanoi summit, however, that North Korea committed to "totally" dismantling its main Yongbyon nuclear complex, but that the lifting of the sanctions would require Pyongyang to scrap other nuclear facilities and programs, including undeclared ones.

In an apparent attempt to coax Washington into making concessions, a senior North Korean diplomat reportedly said at a press conference in the country's capital in March that Pyongyang is considering suspending denuclearization negotiations with the United States.

North Korea, meanwhile, is said to be rebuilding a facility in Tongchang-ri previously used to test long-range missile engines to normal operating status, spurring concern that a potential rocket launch, if conducted, could further complicate talks between Washington and Pyongyang.

In April last year, two months before the first Trump-Kim summit in Singapore, North Korea made a commitment to discontinuing nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.

Amid the latest comments from Kim, North Korea is scheduled to convene a session of its top legislative body later Thursday.

The session of the Supreme People's Assembly in Pyongyang follows the first national election in five years that was held on March 10, in which, surprisingly, Kim was not on the ballot.

Kim's absence from the ballot has raised speculation that he may attempt to tighten his grip on power by assuming a new post as head of state through a constitutional revision.

The new assembly members elected from 687 constituencies are likely to discuss a national budget and other key policy items at the first parliamentary session since April 11 of last year. Only state-approved candidates can stand in North Korean elections.

The Supreme People's Assembly is normally convened once a year in April to rubber-stamp budgetary and personnel matters already decided by the ruling party, headed by Kim.

By not running in the March election, Kim became the first North Korean leader to not sit in the nation's top legislative body since the inaugural parliamentary election held in 1948.

Source: https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20190411/p2g/00m/0in/038000c