Kim Jong Un |
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un at the groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of Pyongyang General Hospital on March 17, 2020, North Korea. | Source: Getty Images
–
On Wednesday, September 29, North Korea’s Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un said he was ready to resume dialogue with South Korea in the coming days. However, the North Korean leader has rejected all offers to negotiate with the United States. Pyongyang appears to want to ease tensions on the Korean Peninsula, while driving a wedge between Seoul and Washington.
In a speech to the annual session of the North Korean Parliament, Kim Jong Un said that he was ready to re-establish direct inter-Korean lines of communication, which have remained largely closed for over a year.
Despite this desire for appeasement, Kim Jong Un accused South Korea of being “inclined to beg for external support and cooperation while demanding international cooperation, thus obeying the United States,” reported Associated Press.
Regarding the signing of a peace treaty to officially end the Korean War (1950-1953), as recently proposed by the President of South Korea Moon Jae-inKim Jong Un said such an act could only take place when “mutual respect is guaranteed and unfair opinions and double standards are abandoned.” “
The North Korean leader adopted a more belligerent tone when addressing the United States, accusing them of using “tricks” to conduct a hostile policy and make military threats against Pyongyang. Kim Jong Un added that the Biden government, in place for eight months, has done nothing to “abandon the military threat and the hostile policies of the United States to [l’égard de la Corée du Nord]. »
According to the South Korean media Yonhap News, a head of the US department rejected Kim Jong Un’s assertions: “The United States has no hostile intent against Pyongyang. We are ready to engage in dialogue with North Korea without preconditions. We hope that Pyongyang will respond positively to our proposal ”.
North Korea and South Korea have been engaged in a frenzied arms race for the past month. In early September, North Korea carried out two ballistic missile tests, one of which was launched from a train of the country’s “embarked missile regiment”. In retaliation, Seoul successfully tested a ballistic missile launched from a submarine, making South Korea the seventh country in the world to have this advanced capability. Pyongyang’s two ballistic missile tests this month violate a series of resolutions passed by the United Nations Security Council. At the request of the United States, the United Kingdom and France, the Security Council must meet urgently behind closed doors Thursday, September 30 to discuss the actions of North Korea.
Article translated from Forbes US – Author: Siladitya Ray
<<< À lire également : La Corée du Nord fait l’essai de deux missiles balistiques en violation de l’interdiction de l’ONU >>>
–
