The US has imposed fresh sanctions on North Korea after accusing it of using nerve agent VX to kill Kim-Jong-nam, the half brother of Kim Jong-un. The move comes just a day after Pyongyang announced it would hold a leaders’ summit with South Korea and would consider giving up its nuclear weapons.

"More sanctions need to be deeper rather than broader, unilateral sanctions are mostly symbolic and as such seem to reinforce the approach of the US so far.

"North Korea has left its usual loopholes in its statement on considering giving up nuclear weapons, and as the world hasn't given positive examples of security guarantees being respected after nuclear weapons being given up, at present it seems unlikely that this is a realistic option.

"But, the real hope here is a return to dialogue and the suggestion of considering giving up nuclear weapons might be the means to get to discussion."

Dr. Catherine Jones East Asia Research Fellow, Department of Politics and International Studies

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