N. Korea demands return of cargo ship seized by US

Pyongyang on Tuesday demanded the return of a cargo ship seized by Washington last week for violating international sanctions.

On Friday, the US Justice Department said it had taken possession of the North Korea-registered bulk carrier M/V ‘Wise Honest,’ one year after it was detained in Indonesia, citing illicit sanctions-busting activities, AP said.

A spokesman for the North’s Foreign Ministry slammed the move on Tuesday, saying it was an outright violation of the spirit of a deal signed by leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump at their summit in Singapore last June.

“The US carried out an illegal act of robbery by seizing our cargo ship citing UN Security Council sanctions resolutions,” the spokesman said. The move was an “extension of US calculation” to bring Pyongyang to its knees through maximum pressure, he added.