On Friday, the U.S President Donald Trump tweeted that he has reversed his administration’s decision to impose new sanctions on North Korea. The press secretary of Trump explained that the president likes Korean leader Kim Jong Un and doesn’t think they’re necessary. It is not clear which sanctions the president was referencing in his tweet. Trump wrote from his private club in Palm Beach, Florida: “It was announced today by the US Treasury that additional large scale Sanctions would be added to those already existing Sanctions on North Korea. I have today ordered the withdrawal of those additional Sanctions”!
The White House didn’t immediately respond to questions regarding which sanctions Trump was referring to, or what large-scale sanctions were poised to be added to existing ones already imposed on North Korea. Trump administration did sanction two Chinese shipping companies on Thursday allegedly helping North Korea evade sanctions. It was the 1st targeted actions taken against Pyongyang since Trump and Kim met in Hanoi, Vietnam, last month for negotiations regarding North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The United States is knee-deep in delicate trade negotiations with China.
A source familiar with the action informed The Associated Press that Trump’s tweet wasn’t a reversal of existing sanctions. But, the president talked regarding not moving forward with additional large-scale sanctions on North Korea currently. It is not clear that Trump’s decision was regarding the move of North Korea to sharply withdraw its staff from a collaboration office with South Korea. The development was considered to put a damper on ties between the North and South. It would complicate global diplomacy on the nuclear program of North Korea. The withdrawal was a major setback for the President of South Korea, Moon Jae-in. He was considering improved relations with North Korea alongside the nuclear negotiations between the North and the United States.