DPRK strengthens ties with Russia, blames U.S. for summit breakdown

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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) is stepping up its diplomacy with Russia following the Hanoi summit which halted without a deal with the United States, said Yonhap, after senior officials meeting in Moscow, discussing "a schedule of political contacts."

DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Im Chon Il on Thursday met with his Russian counterpart Igor Morgulov in Moscow amid speculation that DPRK leader Kim Jong Un could also pay his first trip to the neighboring country, reported Yonhap.

The two sides exchanged views on the situation of the Korean Peninsula and discussed urgent issues regarding the development of bilateral relations, including a schedule of political contacts and prospects for advancing cooperation in practical areas," Russia's foreign ministry said in a press statement.

The 8th meeting of the DPRK-Russia intergovernmental committee for cooperation in trade, economy, science and technology took place at the People's Palace of Culture, released by KCNA in Pyongyang , the DPRK, March 22, 2018. /VCG Photo

Im is not the only senior DPRK official to visit Russia. DPRK's Minister for External Economic Affairs Kim Yong Jae and Vice Department Director of the Central Committee of the WPK Han Man Hyok also visited Russia last week.

Kim Yong Jae discussed cooperation in trade and the economy during the meeting with Russian Minister for the Development of the Far East Alexander Kozlov while Han attended a photo exhibition organized to mark the 70th anniversary of the late DPRK founder Kim Il Sung's official state visit to Moscow, said Yonhap.

Earlier Friday, the U.S. envoy for the DPRK Stephen Biegun urged the UN Security Council members to stay united in pressuring Kim Jong Un's government to give up its nuclear weapons following the failed talks between Trump and Kim in Hanoi last month.

China: All parties should remain patient on DPRK issue

Speaking of the issues regarding the DPRK, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday urged all parties to remain patient and to seize the opportunity to promote dialogue between the U.S. and the DPRK.

He noted that the DPRK issue is very complex and cannot be solved over one night, adding that China is committed to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, and that stance has never changed.

DPRK: Gangster-like stand of the U.S. puts the situation in danger

Meanwhile, DPRK's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Friday that the country is considering suspending talks with the U.S. and may rethink a ban on missile and nuclear tests unless Washington makes concessions.

She also blamed top U.S. officials for the breakdown of last month's summit in Hanoi, saying the "gangster-like stand of the U.S. will eventually put the situation in danger," according to Russia's Tass news agency and AP.

DPRK's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Choe Son Hui poses for a photo ahead of the welcome ceremony of DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, March 1, 2019. /VCG Photo

“We have no intention to yield to the U.S. demands [made at the Hanoi summit] in any form, nor are we willing to engage in negotiations of this kind,” TASS quoted Choe as telling reporters in Pyongyang.

According to Choe, Kim is set to make an official announcement soon on his position on the denuclearization talks with the U.S. and DPRK's further actions.

(With input from Reuters)