North Korea demands return of cargo ship seized by US

The North Korean cargo ship, Wise Honest, middle, was towed into the Port of Pago Pago in the late morning on Saturday, May 11, 2019, in Pago Pago, American Samoa. The Wise Honest ship was seized by the U.S. because of suspicion it was used to violate international sanctions. It arrived Saturday at the capital of this American territory. (AP Photo/Fili Sagapolutele)

This undated photo released by the U.S. Justice Dept, Thursday, May 9, 2019, shows the North Korean cargo ship Wise Honest. The Trump administration says it has seized a North Korean cargo ship that U.S. officials say was used to transport coal in violation of international sanctions. (Department of Justice via AP)

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea has called the U.S. seizure of a North Korean cargo ship involved in banned coal exports an "unlawful robbery" and demanded the ship to be immediately returned.

Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency on Tuesday carried a statement by an unnamed foreign ministry spokesman who accused the United States of betraying the spirit of a summit agreement last June between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

Kim and Trump then agreed to a vague statement calling for a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula and improved bilateral ties. Their second meeting collapsed in February over mismatched demands in sanctions relief and disarmament.

The "Wise Honest" was detained in April 2018 as it traveled toward Indonesia and arrived in American Samoa on Saturday.

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