Sanctions move will put progress with DPRK at risk

The tensions between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have generally eased since the historic meeting between US President Donald Trump and DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un in Singapore in June.

Over the past year, the DPRK has made great endeavors to denuclearize the peninsula, which include declaring it will not conduct any nuclear or missile tests, discarding the nuclear test field in the north, dismantling the Sohae Satellite Launching Station, and transferring the remains of US military personnel to the US. All these moves reflect Pyongyang's willingness to improve relations with Washington.

Kim's three meetings with Republic of Korea President Moon Jae-in, together with the Panmunjom Declaration and Pyongyang Joint Declaration, show the two Koreas shared resolve to make breakthroughs in solving the peninsula issue. Their joint actions of removing land mines in the Demilitarized Zone and removing the sentry posts, as well as initiating the process of connecting their railways indicate they have quickly deepened their mutual trust, and laid a good foundation for future cooperation.