North Korea warns US not to ignore year-end deadline on nuclear talks and the Trump-Kim friendship
- Kim Jong-un has set an end-of-the-year deadline for denuclearisation talks with Washington
- Senior North Korean official credited Trump and Kim’s close ties for salvaging diplomacy, but warned they were not enough
In a statement published by Pyongyang’s official Korean Central News Agency, senior North Korean official Kim Yong-chol said there has been no substantial progress in relations despite warm ties between leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump. He said the persisting hostility means “there can be the exchange of fire at any moment”.
Kim Yong-chol said the Trump administration would be “seriously mistaken” if it ignores an end-of-year deadline set by Kim Jong-un to propose mutually acceptable terms for a deal to salvage nuclear negotiations.
The North issued a similar statement on Thursday that was attributed to veteran diplomat Kim Kye-gwan. He criticised US officials for maintaining “cold war mentality and ideological prejudice” and urged the United States to act “wisely” through the end of the year.
“My hope is that the diplomatic adage that there is neither permanent foe nor permanent friend does not change into the one that there is a permanent foe but no permanent friend,” Kim Yong-chol said, stressing that the United States would fail if it tries to use the “close personal relations” between Trump and Kim for delaying tactics.
He said the United States was getting on North Korea’s nerves by demanding its “final and fully verified denuclearisation” while pushing other UN countries to strengthen sanctions and pressure on the North.