South Korea reviewing sanctions against the North

South Korea’s foreign minister on Wednesday said her country is considering lifting some of its unilateral sanctions against North Korea in an effort to improve relations and defuse the nuclear crisis. Kang Kyung-wha told South Korean lawmakers the government is reviewing sanctions Seoul imposed on Pyongyang in 2010 following a deadly attack on a warship that killed 45 South Korean sailors, effectively shutting down all cross-border economic cooperation. But the potential removal of the sanctions would be largely symbolic since U.S.-led international sanctions against North Korea remain in place and have strengthened since 2016 when the North accelerated its nuclear and missile tests.

During her meeting with lawmakers, Kang confirmed reports that U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had expressed displeasure over an agreement reached last month between North and South Korea to reduce conventional military threats between the two countries. The agreement provided for a reduction of weaponry and guards at the border and the demining of sections of the Demilitarized Zone, as well as the creation of buffer zones along the countries’ land and sea boundaries. Kang did not specify what Pompeo was unhappy about but said he had “multiple questions” about the content of the agreement.