Fate of future DPRK-US dialogue depends on US attitude: DPRK

PYONGYANG - The Foreign Ministry of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Sunday that the fate of future DPRK-US dialogue depends on Washington.

In a statement by the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, the DPRK blamed the United States for the failure of the recent working-level talks in Sweden and said it has no intention for further negotiations unless Washington changes its "hostile policy."

Pyongyang approached the negotiations "with expectations and optimism" because Washington repeatedly expressed that it was ready for dialogue based on "a new method" and "creative solution," said the statement.

"However, the trite stance shown by the delegates of the US side at the negotiations venue made us feel that our expectations were no better than an empty hope and rather increased a doubt as to whether the US truly has a stand to solve the issue through dialogue," it said.

The spokesperson also noted that "the recent negotiations have left us skeptical about the US political will to improve the DPRK-US relations and made us think if it isn't its real intention to abuse the bilateral relations for gratifying its party interests."

Delegations from the DPRK and the United States held a meeting that lasted over eight hours in Stockholm on Saturday, in a bid to revive a nuclear diplomacy that has stalled since DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump ended their second summit without a deal in Hanoi, Vietnam, in February.

But shortly after the meeting, DPRK delegation's chief negotiator Kim Myong-gil called the talks a "failure" as the United States did not offer a new proposal.

US State Department spokesperson Morgan Ortagus, contradicting Kim's remarks, said that its delegation "brought creative ideas and had good discussions with its DPRK counterparts."