The U.S. is considering suspending some sanctions on North Korea for 12 to 18 months in exchange for a freeze on the country's nuclear weapons program, the Yonhap news agency reported Thursday.
The Trump administration would support lifting United Nations restrictions on North Korean coal and textiles exports as part of a deal to break their stalemate in nuclear talks, Yonhap said, citing an unidentified person close to the White House. In exchange, leader Kim Jong Un would be expected to dismantle his main nuclear complex at Yongbyon and halt his entire weapons program, the news agency from South Korea said.
The sanctions would snap back into place if North Korea failed to meet its side of the bargain, Yonhap reported. Suspending the sanctions would restore a valuable source of revenue to Kim's regime.