WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- The United States announced on Tuesday to freeze the assets of two entities of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in a bid to pressure the country to return the nuclear disarmament talks.

    Under the U.S. presidential executive order, the DPRK's General Bureau of Atomic Energy and the Korea Tangun Trading Corporation were targeted.

    "These designations continue U.S. efforts to prevent North Korean entities of proliferation concern from accessing financial and commercial markets that could aid the regime's efforts to develop nuclear weapons and the missiles capable of delivering them," the State Department said in a statement.

    Prior to the latest U.S. sanctions against two companies, Washington announced in June to freeze any assets held by two other DPRK companies allegedly involving in nuclear weapon and missiles-making activities.

China reaffirms dialogue after DPRK's uranium claim

    BEIJING, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday urged related nations to stick to dialogue when dealing with the Korean nuclear issue.

    "We would like to make joint efforts with all relevant parties to bring the Korean nuclear issue back on the track of dialogue at an early date," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu told the regular press briefing.  Full story

Russian FM urges continued negotiations on Korean Peninsula's nuclear issue

    MOSCOW, Sept. 8 (Xinhua) -- Only negotiations and involvement of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) could lead to a possible settlement of Korean nuclear issue, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov here on Tuesday.

    "I am convinced that a mutually acceptable solution can be secured only through talks and only through our DPRK partners' involvement in them. Isolation and threats will reach nowhere," the top Russian diplomat told a news conference. Full story

U.S.-DPRK dialogue should be held within six-party talks framework: Japanese, U.S. envoys

    TOKYO, Sept. 7 (Xinhua) -- Japan and the United States agreed Monday that the dialogue between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) should be held within the six-party talks framework.

    The consensus was reached during talks between Akitaka Saiki, Japan's chief negotiator for the six-party talks and Stephen Bosworth, U.S. special representative for DPRK policy.   Full story