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North Korean first vice minister for foreign affairs Kim Kye-gwan (Hankyoreh archive)
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Statement by first vice minister of foreign affairs casts doubt over US sincerity in “improving DPRK-US relations”
North Korea has announced that it has no interest in the US's demands for unilateral denuclearization, adding that it will reconsider its attendance at the North Korea-US summit that has been scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. North Korea's first vice minister of foreign affairs Kim Kye-gwan declared in an official statement, "We have no interest in dialogue if the US insists on cornering us with unilateral demands that focus exclusively on denuclearization, and we have no choice but to reconsider our attendance at the DPRK-US summit," referring to North Korea as the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea. Kim continued by saying, "If the Trump administration approaches the summit with a sincere desire to improve DPRK-US relations, however, then we will respond accordingly." "High-ranking officials from the White House and the US Department of State such as Bolton are pushing a Libya-style model of 'denuclearization first, rewards later,'" Kim said, going on to criticize the US's use of phrases such as "complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization" (CVID) and "total decommissioning of nuclear weapons, missiles and biochemical weapons." "This is not an effort to reconcile the issues through dialogue but a sinister move to impose upon our dignified state the fate of Libya and Iraq, countries that were put under unyielding control to the point of collapse," he concluded. "I cannot contain my rage at such treatment from the US, and harbor my doubts as to whether the US is sincere in its efforts to improve DPRK-US relations through sound dialogue and negotiations," vice minister Kim added. "We have already stated our intentions to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and have clarified on several counts that our preconditions for denuclearization are the end of hostile policies and nuclear intimidation from the US." Following North Korea's one-sided decision to suspend high-level inter-Korean talks, Kim's announcement of North Korea's reconsideration of the upcoming North Korea-US summit, which was scheduled for right around the corner, is being interpreted by analysts as the North's "red light" concerning pre-summit negotiations. It is also an indication that North Korea and the US are engaged in a last-minute tug-of-war as US demands for denuclearization clash with North Korea's insistence on the retraction of hostile policies and the alleviation of nuclear intimidation. North Korea abruptly suspends high-level inter-Korean talks North Korea communicated to South Korea on May 16 its one-sided decision to suspend the high-level inter-Korean talks that were scheduled to take place at the House of Peace in Panmunjeom, citing the South Korea-US joint military exercises as the primary reason. On May 15, North Korea requested that the talks be held on May 16 instead of South Korea's original suggestion of May 14 (two day postponement). Just a little over 15 hours later, however, at 12:30 am on May 16, North Korea informed the South of its decision to suspend the talks altogether. Officials in the South Korean government, amid an atmosphere of confusion, are analyzing the cause and background behind the North's sudden 180-degree reversal from multiple angles. A senior official from the Blue House said, "We are currently in the process of clarifying the meaning behind North Korea's telephone message," adding "the Ministry of Unification will give its [the government's] first official stance regarding the issue at 10 am." In response to a question that asked whether "a fundamental problem has risen in the implementation of the Panmunjeom Declaration," Minister of Unification Cho Myung-gyon said on his way into the office, "I don't think so. This phase is the beginning of the beginning, and I think many situations can occur during the process to denuclearization and peace." "In a situation like this, it's important that we do not stop and continue proceeding in a consistent way," he added. By Lee Je-hun, editor in chief Please direct comments or questions to [english@hani.co.kr]
