North Korea wants U.S. to allow fuel, metal trade to restart talks, South Korea lawmakers say

• North Korea wants international sanctions banning its metal exports and imports of refined fuel and other necessities lifted in order to restart denuclearization talks with the United States, according to South Korean lawmakers.
• Korean leaders have shared a willingness to rebuild trust and improve ties since April, and Kim had asked to reconnect the hotlines, the lawmakers said.

North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea on June 30, 2019.

Brendan Smialowski | AFP | Getty Images

North Korea wants international sanctions banning its metal exports and imports of refined fuel and other necessities lifted in order to restart denuclearization talks with the United States, South Korean lawmakers said on Tuesday.

The North has also demanded the easing of sanctions on its imports of luxury goods to be able to bring in fine liquors and suits, the lawmakers said after being briefed by South Korea's main intelligence agency.

The briefing came a week after the two Koreas restored hotlines that North Korea suspended a year ago.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in have shared a willingness to rebuild trust and improve ties since April, and Kim had asked to reconnect the hotlines, the lawmakers said.

They also said North Korea was in need of some 1 million tons of rice, as its economy was battered by the coronavirus pandemic and bad weather last year.