Thursday, March 08, 2018

FM Spokesman on DPRK-US Dialogue
A spokesperson for the DPRK Foreign Ministry gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA on March 3 as regards the attitude of the US taken after we have stated our intention for DPRK-US dialogue:

Recently, with regard to the DPRK-US dialogue, the US is taking a preposterous action by continuing to trumpet an insistence that it will not have dialogue unless a right condition is met and that it will keep watching if we have intention to abandon nuclear weapons and missiles and so on.

The US, which was terrified at the rapid development of our nuclear forces and has continued to knock the door of dialogue, now feigns indifference and advances this or that precondition. Not being content with it, it insists that it will have dialogue only for making the DPRK abandon nuclear weapons and persist in "maximum pressure" until complete denuclearization is realized. This is really more than ridiculous.

Thanks to our noble love for the nation and great determination to terminate confrontation with the fellow countrymen and achieve peace on the Korean peninsula, the north and the south have ensured successful holding of Phyongchang Winter Olympics and are now opening a new chapter of reconciliation and cooperation.

Out of the desire of our nation and the international community aspiring after peace, we have clarified our position that a dialogue with the US will be possible.

It is the consistent and principled position of the DPRK to resolve issues in a diplomatic and peaceful way through dialogue and negotiation.

The dialogue we desire is the one designed to discuss and resolve the issues of mutual concern on an equal footing between states.

In the decades-long history of the DPRK-US talks, there had been no case at all where we sat with the US on any precondition, and this will be the case in future, too.

The US attitude shown after we clarified our intention for DPRK-US dialogue compels us to only think that the US is not interested in resuming the DPRK-US dialogue.

We have intention to resolve issues in a diplomatic and peaceful way through dialogue and negotiation, but we will neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the US.

We have full capability and will to confront any option favoured by the US.

Whether peace desired by our nation and the rest of the world settles on the Korean peninsula or a situation that no one desires is developed in the vicious cycle of confrontation depends entirely on the attitude of the US.

The US should not misjudge our intention for dialogue.

KCNA

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