Nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea have been stalled since February’s summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without an agreement due to differences over how to match Pyongyang’s denuclearization steps with Washington’s sanctions relief. The North Korean official accused Pompeo of misinterpreting a remark leader Kim made during his policy speech last week at the Supreme People’s Assembly that he will wait “in patience” till the end of this year to see whether the U.S. makes a “courageous decision.” “Everyone has a clear interpretation of his speech which says that the U.S. should change its way of calculation and come up with responsive measures before the end of this year,” he said. “Just at this time, only Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of the State, is talking nonsense that its meaning is to finish the working level negotiation between the DPRK and the U.S. by the end of the year, which subjects him to public ridicule,” he added, using the abbreviation for the North’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

He was apparently referring to Pompeo’s remarks on Monday concerning Kim’s speech in which the U.S. official expressed hope of seeing North Korea’s denuclearization before the end of this year. “I would like to take this opportunity to make clear once again to Pompeo the meaning of the stand towards the U.S. clarified by our Comrade Chairman of the State Affairs Commission in his policy speech,” Kwon said. “The meaning is that the U.S. should get rid of the root cause that pushed us into a nuclear state and obstacles on the way to denuclearization by its own hands; otherwise no one can predict how the situation on the Korean peninsula will turn out,” he added.

(Yonhap)