Pyongyang warns US sanctions may ‘block path to denuclearization’

North Korea has condemned Washington over its latest sanctions measures, warning the policy could “block the path to denuclearization on the Korean peninsula forever,” AFP reported on Monday. The warning from the North the previous day came after the the United States said it was imposing sanctions on three senior North Korean officials over human rights abuses. The sanctioned officials include Choe Ryong-hae, who has been considered a right-hand man to leader Kim Jong-un. The official KCNA news agency praised President Donald Trump for his efforts to improve relations with Pyongyang, but said in a statement that the US State Department was “bent on bringing the DPRK-US relations back to the status of last year which was marked by exchanges of fire.”