The dialogue on denuclearization promoted by the United States is no more than a "foolish trick" being used to the country's benefit as it heads toward the 2020 presidential election, North Korea's vice foreign minister, Ri Thae Song, said on Tuesday
SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd December, 2019) The dialogue on denuclearization promoted by the United States is no more than a "foolish trick" being used to the country's benefit as it heads toward the 2020 presidential election, North Korea's vice foreign minister, Ri Thae Song, said on Tuesday.
"The dialogue touted by the U.S. is, in essence, nothing but a foolish trick hatched to keep the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] bound to dialogue and use it in favor of the political situation and election in the U.S.," the North Korean official said in a statement, as quoted by state news agency KCNA.
He added that the "year-end time limit" for the US to fulfill its obligations was coming closer.
North Korea would no longer "lend an ear" to the US if it continued its rhetoric, the diplomat stressed. According to him, North Korea had been acting in a transparent and open way, and that it was up to the US to decide on its "Christmas gift."
North Korea is believed to have fired two short-range projectiles from a super-size multiple rocket launcher on November 28. The projectiles flew about 380 kilometers (236 miles) at a maximum altitude of 97 kilometers before plunging into the sea off North Korea's eastern coast. North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, was reportedly satisfied with the results of the launch, whose goal was to check the combat applicability of the super-large multiple rocket launcher.
The launch was met with a fresh wave of criticism from the West. Germany, in particular, called on North Korea to begin earnest negotiations with the United States about its disarmament. In turn, the United Kingdom urged North Korea to stop its missile tests and resume denuclearization talks with the United States.
