NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/SANCTIONS/SUMMIT/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “A senior North Korean official contradicted President Donald Trump on Thursday [2-28-19], denying that his country had insisted on the removal of all sanctions in return for dismantling a key nuclear facility. In a rare news conference addressing the reason why nuclear talks broke down in Hanoi early Thursday, North Korea’s minister of Foreign Affairs, Ri Yong-ho, added that his country would dismantle the facility if some U.S. sanctions are first lifted…Trump during a news conference earlier Thursday said North Korea ‘wanted the sanctions lifted in their entirety’ in return for dismantling Yongbyon. Trump said he walked away from his talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un because of the request.”
–Rebecca Morin, “North Korea denies Trump’s account of summit collapse,” Politico, February 28, 2019 1:02 pm