North Korea "Loses Willingness to Dialogue with US... Anyone Who Provokes Us Will Get Hurt" (Summary)

Ministry of Foreign Affairs' New Director of US Negotiations Issues Statement
"Strategy to Stop the Hands of Clash Seems Absent in the US"
"We Will Follow Our Own Path"... Plans Not Disclosed
Leaves Dialogue Opening Through 'Director of US Negotiations' Title

President Trump and Chairman Kim Jong-un meeting in the northern area of the Military Demarcation Line at Panmunjom in June last year, then moving to the southern area.

North Korea announced on the 30th that it has lost its willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States and will follow "our own path." However, it is presumed that they have established a new position likely responsible for negotiations with the U.S., despite stating they will not engage in talks. Interpretations differ regarding the surface content of the statement and its underlying meaning.

In a statement issued under the name of the "New Director of the U.S. Negotiation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," North Korea referred to recent remarks by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, saying, "Upon hearing Pompeo's recent outrageous remarks, we have once again firmly and decisively lost our willingness to engage in dialogue."

In the statement released through the Korean Central News Agency, the Director of the U.S. Negotiation Bureau said, "We have become more enthusiastic about our responsible plans and projects to return the suffering inflicted on our people by the United States over a long period back to them in the form of fear and anxiety," adding, "We will follow our own path."

However, the statement did not specify what "our own path" entails.

Earlier, on the 25th (local time), Secretary Pompeo held a video conference with foreign ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) and then held a separate press conference at the State Department, stating, "We must dedicate ourselves to applying diplomatic and economic pressure in response to North Korea's illegal nuclear and ballistic missile development."

He said, "On one hand, the President sends a personal letter to our leadership containing a 'sincere offer of support' regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and requests close communication, while on the other hand, the Secretary of State publicly insults the country with which the President seeks good cooperative relations, overriding the President's intentions to the point that it is confusing who the real ruler of the United States is."

The Director of the U.S. Negotiation Bureau stated, "No matter how excellent and solid the personal relationship between the leaders of North Korea and the U.S. may be, it cannot change the U.S.'s hostile policy toward North Korea, and the so-called resumption of talks that the U.S. advocates is ultimately just a lure to try to stop the path we are taking."

He added, "Since the U.S. has no means to restrain or check us, it frequently uses the personal relationship between the leaders as a pretext to tie our hands and try to block something, a U.S.-style script that both we and the international community have now become quite accustomed to."

He further noted, "The dialogue banner, which the U.S. President pulled out as a lure to buy favorable time and circumstances, has been severely damaged by the Secretary of State's outrageous remarks, and it seems the U.S. no longer has the power or strategy to stop the ticking clock of renewed confrontation."

The Director of the U.S. Negotiation Bureau warned, "The United States should stop babbling and refrain from provoking us. If they do, they will get hurt."

North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong Un supervised an artillery firing competition of the Western Front Large Combined Unit on the 20th and instructed to strengthen the training of artillery units according to the situation, reported by the Korean Central News Agency on the 21st. Kim's appearance was revealed by Central TV on the 21st.

The position of "New Director of the U.S. Negotiation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs" was revealed for the first time by North Korean state media, suggesting that North Korea has established a post responsible for negotiations with the U.S. This contradicts the theme of the statement that they will no longer engage in dialogue. This is why there is an assessment that it is difficult to take the statement at face value.

Additionally, by separating U.S. President Donald Trump from U.S. officials in this statement, North Korea appears to insist on a "top-down" style of dialogue.

Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies, analyzed, "(This statement) clearly shows the negative perception of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs toward U.S. officials including Pompeo," but also noted, "There are signs of moderating the tone by separating Trump from the officials."

However, even if North Korea returns to the negotiating table, the differences in positions confirmed during the Hanoi North Korea-U.S. summit in February last year are unlikely to be easily bridged.

On the 22nd, Kim Yo-jong, First Deputy Director and younger sister of Chairman Kim Jong-un, stated in a statement that North Korea-U.S. relations should not be expected based on the personal friendship between the two leaders, warning, "If fairness and balance are not guaranteed and one-sided and greedy thoughts are not abandoned, the relationship between the two countries will continue to deteriorate."

She added, "Only when a dynamic and moral balance is maintained and fairness is guaranteed between the two countries can relations and dialogue be considered. We hope for the day when relations between the two countries will be as good as the relationship between the leaders, but whether that is possible remains to be seen over time."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.