DPRK stresses no intention to hold talks with Washington

PYONGYANG - A top diplomat of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has vowed that Pyongyang will ignore US outreach until Washington "rolls back its hostile policy", the official Korean Central News Agency reported on Thursday.

First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui issued a statement on Wednesday, saying the United States has tried to contact them since mid-February through several channels including New York, and by emails and telephone messages, but "we don't think there is need to respond to the US time-delaying trick again".

"We have already declared our stand that no DPRK-US contact and dialogue of any kind can be possible unless the US rolls back its hostile policy towards the DPRK. Therefore, we will disregard such an attempt of the US in the future, too," Choe said.

She pointed out that in order for a dialogue to be made, an atmosphere for both parties to exchange words on an equal basis must be created, but what has been heard from the United States "since the emergence of the new regime" is only lunatic theory of "threat from North Korea" and groundless rhetoric about "complete denuclearization".

The US military "keeps stealthily putting military threat to us and is committing spying acts against us with the involvement of lots of reconnaissance assets", and "openly started aggression-minded joint military exercises targeting us", therefore, it seems the United States has not yet dropped "the habit of doggedly faulting the DPRK", Choe noted.

"It had better drop the cheap trick by which it tries to use the DPRK-US contact as a means for gaining time and building up the public opinion," she said, adding it "will only be a waste of time to sit with the US" as it is not ready to accept new change and new times.

She also declared that "we will counter the US on the principle of power for power and goodwill for goodwill".

On Monday, Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, also issued a statement, warning the US administration that "if it wants to sleep in peace for the coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step".