N. Korea demands return of cargo ship

Courting controversy: The North Korean cargo ship (centre) being towed into Port of Pago Pago in Pago Pago, American Samoa. — AP

SEOUL: North Korea called the US seizure of a North Korean cargo ship involved in banned coal exports a “robbery” and demanded that the vessel be returned immediately.

The North’s official Korean Central News Agency, or KCNA, carried a statement by an unnamed foreign ministry spokesperson who accused the United States of betraying the spirit of a summit agreement last June between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and President Donald Trump.