Efforts To Improve Civil Aviation With U.N. Blocked By Washington 

The United States has blocked U.N. efforts to revitalize civil aviation in North Korea, reports Reuters. 

The U.N. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has been working with Pyongyang to open air routes through North and South Korean airspace. Airlines typically avoid these routes due to the threat of unannounced missile launches. 

Washington vetoed a North Korean request for U.S.-produced aeronautical charts and discouraged the U.N. agency from working with Pyongyang. 

The move is a means of maintaining pressure on North Korea in the run up to a summit scheduled later this month between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. 

Washington wants tough sanctions to remain in place until Pyongyang takes tangible steps to roll back its nuclear program. 

Analysts note that North Korea has signed no agreements guaranteeing to eliminate its nuclear weapons.