North Korea Calls US Dialogue Offer a "Facade"
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Kim Jong-un upholds "promoting peace" between the two Koreas.
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Talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been frozen since the failed Hanoi summit in 2019
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un rejected a US offer of dialogue, describing it as a “facade to mask their deception and hostile acts.”
His remarks came during a speech in parliament where he condemned the Biden administration, saying that "the US military threat and hostile policy against us have not changed at all but have become more cunning."
In parallel, Kim ordered officials to reinstate the inter-Korean communication lines in order to "promote peace," expressing willingness to restore North-South telephone and fax lines in early October.
Urging Seoul to abandon its "double-dealing attitude" and "hostile viewpoint" due to its close association with Washington, the North Korean leader stressed that both nations were at a "crossroads of serious choices" between reconciliation and an undesired "vicious cycle of confrontation".
The US calls for talks
For its part, the United States responded to the accusations, stating that it does not harbor "any hostile intentions" for North Korea and calls on it once again to respond to its outreach without any preconditions.
A US State Department spokesperson said, "Our policy calls for a calibrated, practical approach that seeks serious and sustained diplomacy with North Korea."
The administration of US President Joe Biden has repeatedly announced its willingness to meet with North Korean officials anywhere, anytime, without preconditions, as part of efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.
But talks between Washington and Pyongyang have been frozen since the failed 2019 summit in Hanoi between Kim and former US President Donald Trump.
UNSC to discuss hypersonic missile
Since Kim Jong-un came to power, North Korea has advanced its weapons programs, but it has not conducted any nuclear or ballistic missile tests since 2017.
However, diplomatic sources said on Wednesday that the UN Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on North Korea this Thursday at the request of the United States, France, and Britain, the day after Pyongyang announced that it had successfully tested a hypersonic gliding missile.
This latest display of military capabilities is the third missile test conducted by North Korea this month. The first test was conducted on a long-range cruise missile, while the second test was conducted on short-range ballistic missiles.
