North Korea Safeguarding Nuclear Missiles, U.N. Monitors Report Ahead of Summit Talks – Reuters

By Michelle Nichols and David Brunnstrom

UNITED NATIONS/WASHINGTON – According to U.N. monitors, North Korea is taking steps to ensure that its nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities are resilient against military strikes. This assertion comes as U.S. and North Korean officials prepare for a second summit focused on denuclearization.

Stephen Biegun, the U.S. special envoy for North Korea, is scheduled to meet with his North Korean counterpart in Pyongyang on Wednesday. This meeting aims to lay the groundwork for a summit later this month between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Biegun has expressed hope that discussions with Kim Hyok Chol will produce "a set of concrete deliverables" for the upcoming summit.

Having engaged in talks with South Korean officials recently, Biegun outlined his intention to create "a roadmap of negotiations and declarations" that would clarify joint objectives. South Korean authorities have suggested a compromise that could lead to the dismantling of North Korea’s Yongbyon nuclear complex, potentially in exchange for U.S. actions, such as formally ending the Korean War or establishing a liaison office.

However, a confidential report submitted to a U.N. Security Council sanctions committee has revealed that monitors have observed a consistent strategy by North Korea to disperse its assembly, storage, and testing locations to evade detection. The North Korean mission to the United Nations has not yet commented on this report.

The initial summit between Trump and Kim in Singapore last June resulted in a vague agreement by Kim to pursue the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. The Vietnamese city of Danang is currently viewed as a likely venue for the upcoming meeting.

Last Thursday, Trump remarked on the "tremendous progress" in U.S. dealings with North Korea, though there is skepticism regarding the North’s actual commitment to relinquishing its nuclear arsenal.

North Korea has voiced concerns about the U.S. failing to adequately reciprocate its moratorium on nuclear and missile testing. The North is also calling for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the U.S., a formal end to the Korean War, and security assurances.

According to the U.N. report, current sanctions appear to be ineffective. Monitors noted a significant uptick in illegal ship-to-ship transfers of petroleum products and coal, undermining the effectiveness of sanctions. They reported one exceptional transfer of over 57,600 barrels of petroleum, valued at more than $5.7 million.

North Korea has declared that it will not unilaterally abandon its nuclear weapons unless the U.S. first addresses perceived threats. The North has long demanded the withdrawal of U.S. troops as a condition for peace, emphasizing that the Korean War concluded with an armistice, leaving the two Koreas technically still at war.

The U.S. has clarified that its military presence is not a bargaining tool in negotiations, and South Korea maintains that U.S. troops are unrelated to any potential peace agreement.

On Monday, the U.S. State Department announced that Washington and Seoul had reached an "in principle" agreement regarding the cost-sharing for the stationing of U.S. troops in South Korea. Reports indicate that under a revised agreement, South Korea will increase its financial contribution to nearly $1 billion. Previously, a 2014 agreement required South Korea to contribute approximately $848 million annually for the support of roughly 28,500 U.S. troops, but efforts to renew this agreement have stalled despite numerous rounds of discussions since March.