North Korean official: Kim rethinking US talks, maintaining moratorium
PYONGYANG, North Korea — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un will soon decide whether to continue diplomatic talks and maintain his moratorium on missile launches and nuclear tests, a senior North Korean official said Friday, adding that the U.S. threw away a golden opportunity at the recent summit between their leaders.
Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui, addressing a meeting of diplomats and foreign media in Pyongyang, said the North was deeply disappointed by the failure of the two sides to reach any agreements at the Hanoi summit between Kim and President Trump.
She said Pyongyang now has no intention of compromising or continuing talks unless the United States takes measures that are commensurate to the changes it has taken — such as the 15-month moratorium on launches and tests — and changes its “political calculation.”
Choe, who attended the Feb. 27-28 talks in Hanoi, said Kim was puzzled by what she called the “eccentric” negotiation position of the U.S. She suggested that while Trump was more willing to talk, an atmosphere of hostility and mistrust was created by the uncompromising demands of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and national security adviser John Bolton. She said statements by senior Trump advisers since the summit have further worsened the climate.
In Washington, Pompeo and Bolton disputed the allegation. Bolton said in any case Trump “is our decision-maker.”
Despite the tensions, Choe said personal relations between the two leaders are still good “and the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful.”
Eric Talmadge is an Associated Press writer.