SEOUL | North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rejected the United States’ offer of dialogue, accusing President Joe Biden of continuing the “hostile acts” of his predecessors, which Washington immediately denied.
• Read also: North Korea announces testing of hypersonic missile
• Read also: Japan: moderate Fumio Kishida elected head of ruling party and next prime minister
“Our policy aims for a gradual and practical approach for a serious and lasting diplomacy with North Korea”, assured a spokesman for the US State Department on Wednesday, reiterating to have “no hostile intention” towards Pyongyang.
“The United States is ready to meet with North Korean officials without preconditions. We hope that North Korea will respond positively to our offer, ”he added. This proposal had already been made several times by the Biden government.
The statements come after Kim Jong Un called the United States’ repeated offer of dialogue a “facade to hide their deceit and hostile acts, and a continuation of the hostile policies of previous administrations” during a speech-flowing before the Supreme People’s Assembly, the North Korean “parliament”, the official KCNA news agency reported on Thursday.
“Since the advent of the new US administration, the US military threat and its hostile policies against us have not changed at all, they have become more deceptive,” Kim continued, according to reported comments. by the official daily Rodong Sinmun.
Since the coming to power of Joe Boden, Pyongyang had been rather wait-and-see.
Call for “mutual respect”
Kim Jong Un also considered premature the recent call by South Korean President Moon Jae-in to officially end the Korean War (1950-1953) which ended with a truce and not a peace treaty, leaving the two parties technically at war ever since.
Such an act can only take place when “mutual respect is guaranteed and unjust opinions and double standards abandoned”, warned the North Korean leader.
Talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been deadlocked since the failure of the 2019 summit in Hanoi between Kim Jong Un and then US President Donald Trump.
Since Kim Jong Un came to power, weapons programs have progressed, Pyongyang justifying them by the need to protect against a possible American invasion.
Maintain peace with the South
North Korea has not carried out any nuclear tests or intercontinental ballistic missile fire since 2017. But it said this week it has tested a hypersonic glider missile which, if the veracity of the information is confirmed, would constitute a technological breakthrough. major.
Hypersonic missiles are much faster than conventional ballistic or cruise missiles. They are also much more difficult to detect and intercept by missile defense systems.
Kim Jong Un’s speech shows that Pyongyang intends to continue its arms policy unless Washington changes course, said Hong Min, a researcher at the Korean Institute for National Unification in Seoul.
–
–
“He has come to the conclusion that he has no choice but to take a long-term view of his approach to the problem with the United States, which means continuing his policy on the issue. ‘strategic armaments while maintaining a lasting peace with the South. “
The UN Security Council plans to meet urgently Thursday on North Korea, at the request of the United States, France and the United Kingdom, according to diplomatic sources.
This session will in principle be held in the morning and behind closed doors, one of these sources told AFP, without indicating whether it could lead to the adoption of a joint declaration by the Security Council.
This trilateral request from Washington, Paris and London is the first sign of unity of these three capitals since the crisis which pitted France against the United States and the United Kingdom in the matter of the Australian submarines.
It is also the first time in a very long time that the United States has taken the initiative for an emergency Security Council meeting on North Korea.
–
:quality(85)//cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/QFGZT3UEMRCDZE3EC6AX5HUJB4.jpeg "Colombia would seek to host the 2022 Copa América Femenina, but the precedent with the men’s tournament would be its crucifixion")
