SEOUL, Aug 31, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – North Korea Saturday lashed out at US
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo over his comments on Pyongyang’s “rogue
behaviour” and warned its expectations for nuclear talks with Washington are
“gradually disappearing”.
Pyongyang’s angry words come as working-level talks with Washington remain
gridlocked, despite an agreement in June between North Korean leader Kim Jong
Un and President Donald Trump to kickstart the process.
Instead no progress has been made in recent weeks, as the reclusive state
launched a series of weapons tests in protest at joint military exercises
between the US and South Korea.
“Our expectations of dialogue with the US are gradually disappearing and we
are being pushed to re-examine all the measures we have taken so far,” said
Choe Son Hui, the North’s vice foreign minister, in a statement carried by
the official Korean Central News Agency.
Choe took aim at remarks made earlier this week by Pompeo who described
North Korea’s actions as “rogue behaviour” that could not be ignored.
Such language was improper, irritating and insulting, Choe said, warning
that the US should not to put “our patience to the test if it doesn’t want to
have bitter regrets afterwards”.
The North’s blistering criticism of the top US diplomat comes a week after
it called him a “diehard toxin” and said it was “sceptical” about whether it
can negotiate with him.
Kim and Trump adopted a vague-worded statement on the “complete
denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula” at their first encounter in
Singapore in June last year but little progress has since been made on
discarding the North’s weapons programmes.