“I think it is necessary to create the international legal framework aimed at lifting the US economic sanctions … The removal of sanctions will have a positive impact on the development of Asia-Pacific states as well as [on ensuring] stability and peace on the Korean Peninsula,” the North Korean official said on the sidelines of the 10th International Legal Forum of Asia Pacific states held in the Russian city of Vladivostok.

He pointed out that the US sanctions were a tool of pressure and manipulation.

“They [sanctions] are hindering the social and economic development [of North Korea] … The anti-Korean sanctions are destroying our nation’s right to life, development,” U noted.

The official also called on the Asia-Pacific states to give a legal assessment to the US actions linked to the sanctions against North Korea.

"In order to reach the international justice and equality, it is necessary to use economic tools to counteract the United States… Political and legal organizations should call [the United States] to account and give an independent legal assessment of this lawlessness," U said.

He described the US sanctions as a violation of the international law and human rights.

The United Nations Security Council has introduced multiple sanctions against North Korea in response to its repeated missile launches and nuclear tests. The body, in particular, has restricted oil exports to Pyongyang, banned imports of textile products from North Korea as well as the country's access to gas liquids.

The United States is seeking boost of the sanctions against North Korea despite the recent de-escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula that involved several meetings between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in as well as Kim’s summit with US President Donald Trump.

More about: North-Korea   US-sanctions