North Korea is expressing fresh frustration with the U.S. over the follow-up to the historic June summit between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, complaining in a new government statement Thursday that some high-level members of the Trump administration are hindering the president’s desire for renewed diplomacy and setting the stage for further sanctions.
“The U.S. is attempting to invent a pretext for increased sanctions against [North Korea] by mobilizing all their servile mouthpieces and intelligence institutions to fabricate all kinds of falsehoods on our nuclear issue,” a statement released Thursday from the spokesperson of North Korea’s Foreign Ministry read.
“Worse still, the U.S. is resorting to such highly despicable actions as hindering international organizations’ cooperation with our country in the field of sports and forcing other countries not to send high-level delegations to the celebrations” of the 70th founding anniversary of the North Korean state.
The statement acknowledged some progress following high-level bilateral talks in July, including the North’s discontinuing nuclear and ICBM tests and the repatriation of possible remains of U.S. troops killed in the Korean War..
The statement also praised Mr. Trump for his positive response to the North’s denuclearization efforts, but criticized the scrutiny of unnamed other members of his administration.
“Now the issue in question is that, going against the intention of President Trump, … some high-level officials within the U.S. administration are making baseless allegations against us and making desperate attempts at intensifying the international sanctions and pressure,” Thursday’s statement said.
“Insulting the dialogue partner” and “throwing cold water over our sincere efforts” is a “foolish act that amounts to waiting to see a boiled egg hatch out,” the Foreign Ministry statement said.
Nevertheless, the statement said Mr. Kim’s regime to better relations with Washington, and to implementing the joint statement agreed to by Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump in Singapore.
“We remain unchanged in our will to uphold the intentions of the top leaders of [North Korea] and the U.S. and to build trust and implement in good faith the … joint statement step by step. The U.S. should, even at this belated time, respond to our sincere efforts in a corresponding manner.”
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