[AP/Yonhap News Photo]
North Korea blasted the United States and its allies Wednesday for seeking to "suffocate" the nuclear-armed country with tightened sanctions by faulting a new ferry service with Russia.
A ferry kicked off a trial service last Thursday between Russia's fas-eastern port city of Vladivostok and Rajin, a northeastern port in the North's Rason special economic zone. The service underlines Pyongyang's bid to boost ties with Moscow as China vows to step up sanctions against the cash-strapped country over its nuclear and missile programs.
"This is a normal bilateral cooperation work aimed to expand the bilateral economic relations and deepen the friendship through humanitarian exchanges and visits," a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said through Pyongyang's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
The spokesman accused Washington of faulting the ferry service in a bid to prevent economic cooperation between North Korea and Russia and "suffocate the DPRK (North Korea) through tightened economic blockade". "Such action is arousing a strong backlash and rejection from Russia as it is an arbitrary practice seriously encroaching on the legal interests of not only the DPRK but also Russia."
The ferry named "Mangyongbong" can carry up to about 200 passengers and about 1,500 tons of cargo, according to Russia's Tass news agency. The Mangyongbong was in service between the North and Japan before Japan suspended its operations in 2006 in protest at North Korean missile test.
Russia has been involved in a number of projects in the Rason economic zone which has been used by North Korea to attract foreign investors.
Lim Chang-won = cwlim34@ajunews.com
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