SEOUL, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- The new U.S. ambassador to South Korea Wednesday in Seoul called North Korea a "criminal regime" guilty of arms sales, drug trafficking and counterfeiting.
Alexander Vershbow was explaining to reporters why the United States had imposed economic sanctions against North Korea, the BBC reported. The comments are certain to infuriate Pyongyang.
North Korea said Tuesday it would boycott six-nation talks on its nuclear program unless the sanctions were lifted.
Vershbow said that would not happen. "We can't somehow remove our sanctions as a political gesture when this regime is engaging in dangerous activities such as weapons exports to rogue states, narcotics trafficking as a state activity and counterfeiting of our money on a large scale," he said.
North Korea agreed in September to dismantle its nuclear weapons programs in return for security guarantees and energy aid, but progress halted over issues of timing and sequencing of aid.
U.S. institutions in September suspended dealings with a Macau bank for allegedly assisting North Korea with money laundering and counterfeiting activities. Washington also froze the assets of eight North Korean companies it accused of arms sales.
