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U.S. Extends Sanctions Against North Korea, Citing 'Extraordinary Threat'


U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un on June 12, 2018 in Singapore.
U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with North Korea leader Kim Jong Un on June 12, 2018 in Singapore.

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an order extending sanctions against North Korea for one year, citing the "extraordinary threat" of that country's nuclear weapons.

Trump extended the sanctions, which were originally imposed in 2008, on June 23, only days after writing on Twitter that "there is no longer a nuclear threat from North Korea."

Trump met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12 in a historic summit aimed at reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

Following the summit, Trump said sanctions would remain in place pending tangible progress on North Korea's denuclearization.

"The actions and policies of the government of North Korea continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," Trump's order said.

Also on June 23, the Pentagon announced the indefinite suspension of joint military exercises with South Korea, fulfilling a pledge made by Trump to Kim in Singapore.

Trump called the exercises "war games" and agreed with North Korea's assertions that they were "provocative."

The Freedom Guardian exercises had been set for August.

Based on reporting by dpa, Reuters, and AP

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