North Korea demands immediate return of cargo ship seized by US

North Korea said on Tuesday the seizure of one of its cargo ships by the United States was an illegal act that violated the spirit of a summit between the two countries’ leaders, and demanded the return of the vessel without delay.

Last week the US justice department accused Pyongyang of violating international sanctions by using the vessel for coal shipments.

The ship, the Wise Honest, was first impounded in Indonesia in April 2018.

North Korea said its seizure violated the spirit of the 2018 summit agreement between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

"This act is an extension of the US-style calculation of trying to hold us in submission with its 'maximum pressure' and is a total denial of the fundamental spirit of the June 12 DPRK-US joint statement," its foreign ministry said.

It would be the “biggest miscalculation” if the United States believed it can control the North with force, the statement said, adding it will keep a sharp eye on future U.S. behaviour.

This is the first time the US has seized a North Korean ship for breaching sanctions and comes amid worsening relations between the two countries.

A second summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump ended without agreement in February, with the US insisting North Korea give up its nuclear programme and Pyongyang demanding sanctions relief.

The test of two short-range missiles on Thursday and the firing of a series of projectiles on Saturday were the first missile launches by the North since it tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in November 2017.

North Korea weapons tests in the past weeks is widely seen as an attempt to increase pressure on the US.

US officials have stressed that the seizure announcement had nothing to do with the tests.