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US State Department Does Not Rule Out New Sanctions on North Korea

© REUTERS / Leah MillisU.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose before their meeting during the second U.S.-North Korea summit at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam February 27, 2019
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pose before their meeting during the second U.S.-North Korea summit at the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam February 27, 2019 - Sputnik International
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Earlier, Donald Trump told reporters he would be very disappointed in North Korean Chairman Kim Jong-un if reports that he is rebuilding the Sohae long-range rocket launch site turn out to be true.

US State Department said that Washington still believes North Korea's denuclearization is possible, noting however that it has not seen verifiable destruction of DPRK's rocket launch systems.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump talk in the garden of the Metropole hotel during the second North Korea-U.S. summit in Hanoi, Vietnam February 28, 2019 - Sputnik International
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"We still believe that it’s achievable within the President’s first term," the official said. "That’s the timetable we are working on … and it is doable," a senior US Department of State official said on Thursday.

"In terms of destroying and dismantling those in a manner that’s fully verifiable in terms of inspection, in neither case have those occurred yet," the official told reporters. "They’ve used the facilities to date, but they also haven’t completed our satisfaction."

The department also said that Washington seeks inspectors' access to North Korean Sohae satellite launching station. The department also said it had not reached conclusion on activities at the launching station.

"We are familiar and well aware of what you are describing and we obviously watch very closely developments in North Korea open source sensitive areas," the official said. "It remains to be seen what exactly the purpose is of this activity… We simply haven’t reached any specific conclusion about what’s happening there nor would we necessarily share the conclusion."

READ MORE: N Korea Reportedly Keeping Yongbyon Uranium Enrichment Site Operational

On Tuesday, several US think tanks and South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported that satellite pictures showed works were underway to restore the Sohae Satellite Launching Station at Tongchang-ri, which North Korea pledged to dismantle earlier. The reports came days after Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un failed to produce an agreement at their second summit in Hanoi.

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