N.K. says planned S. Korea-U.S. military drill will affect working-level nuclear talks
SEOUL. KAZINFORM - North Korea warned Tuesday that the agreed-upon resumption of working-level nuclear talks with the United States would be affected if the U.S. goes ahead with joint military exercises with South Korea, Yonhap reports.
A spokesman of the North's foreign ministry made the remark, referringto the 19-2 Dong Maeng exercise slated for next month. The remark indicates theNorth could reconsider the agreement to resume working-level talks if theplanned exercise takes place.
The North has long denounced such exercises as a rehearsal for invasionof the country.
Should the planned exercise take place, «it will affect DPRK-U.S.working-level negotiations,» the spokesman said, according to the KoreanCentral News Agency (KCNA). «We will make a decision regarding theworking-level negotiations after watching the U.S.' upcoming moves.»
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reachedthe agreement to resume working-level talks when they held a surprise meeting atthe inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom on June 30.
In a separate statement earlier in the day, the foreign ministry saidPyongyang is running out of reasons to stick to the promises it made withWashington as Washington is not implementing its own promises.
«Less than one month after the Panmunjom meeting between theleaders of North Korea and the U.S., the U.S. is moving to resume the jointmilitary exercise which was promised to be suspended by itsleadership-level,» the statement said.
The North said it is a «clear violation of the basic spirit»of the June 12 declaration signed by Trump and Kim, and a «blatantpressure» on Pyongyang.
«Our decision to suspend nuclear and inter-continental ballisticmissile tests or the U.S. decision to suspend the joint military drills was apledge to improve bilateral relations, not some kind of a legislated documentcarved on a paper,» it said, in an apparent warning that it might notstick to the pledges.
The criticism came as the U.S. is pushing to hold working-level talkswith the North for the nuclear negotiations which have been stalled since thecollapse of the Hanoi summit between Trump and Kim in February.
According to diplomatic sources earlier this week, Washington hasproposed to the North to hold a working-level meeting, but Pyongyang has yet torespond.