North Korea rejects talks with US as ‘political tool’ for Washington

North Korea has dismissed the possibility of fresh talks with the US on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, saying the negotiations would only serve as “a political tool” for Washington.

North Korea’s vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the resumption of stalled nuclear talks would not work out between Washington and Pyongyang and that there will be no change in North Korea’s policy toward the United States.

“We do not feel any need to sit face to face with the US, as it does not consider the DPRK-US dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling its political crisis,” Choe said in a statement carried by state-run KCNA news agency on Saturday, using an abbreviation for the country's official name — the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

North Korea warns US to drop ‘hostile policy’

North Korea urges the US to drop its “hostile policy” toward Pyongyang, on the eve of the anniversary of a landmark summit between the leaders of the two countries.

This comes as US Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun is scheduled to visit South Korea next week to discuss the stalled nuclear talks with North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in suggested on Wednesday that US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un should hold another meeting ahead of the US elections in November as the move would pave the way for the resumption of the negotiations.

John Bolton, a former US national security adviser, said in an interview in New York on Thursday that Trump might seek another summit with Kim as an “October Surprise” before the US election race.

Washington has imposed rounds of unilateral sanctions and spearheaded multilateral ones against Pyongyang since 2006 over its nuclear and missile programs.

Trump has attempted to court Pyongyang, and although he has met with Kim three times, he has refused to relieve any of the sanctions on the North. That has in turn hampered efforts to demilitarize the Korean Peninsula.

South Korea president urges Trump, Kim to meet again before US presidential vote

South Korean President Moon Jae-in calls for a third meeting between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un before the presidential election in the United States.

The Singapore summit in June 2018 marked the first time a sitting American president met with a North Korean leader but produced no substantial results except for four general commitments.

During the next summit in February 2019 in Vietnam's capital Hanoi, the two leaders again failed to reach an agreement, reportedly mainly because of US calls for North Korea to abandon its nuclear arsenal, and North Korean demands for sanctions relief.

The third meeting was held in last June, when Trump made an unannounced visit to the North and met with Kim, becoming the first American president to take several steps beyond the Demilitarization Zone into the country.

North Korea's hardening of stance comes amid reports that the US is preparing to conduct its first full-fledged nuclear test since 1992.  

Last December, Kim ended a moratorium on the country’s missile tests and said North Korea would soon develop a “new strategic weapon.”

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