North Korean officials responded defiantly. Joseph Yun: The US White House aide, won a Thai pledge to halt imports from North Korea and stop all future accreditation of North Korean diplomats. By the administration's own admission, its official North Korea policy of "maximum pressure and engagement" hasn't to date included significant engagement. The US envoy on North Korea, Joseph Yun, secretly met North Korean officials in Oslo in May to press for the release of Americans imprisoned in Pyongyang. Tillerson said in December he hopes sanctions get North Korea to negotiate.

Source: Bangkok Post December 31, 2017 20:15 UTC