DPRK accuses US of 'double-dealing'

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‍An official newspaper of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday blasted the US for "double-dealing" and "hatching a criminal plot" against Pyongyang" and said the US was holding war drills with Japan that planned “the infiltration into the DPRK's capital.

"We cannot but take a serious note of the double-dealing attitudes of the US as it is busy staging secret drills involving man-killing special units while having a dialogue with a smile on its face," the Rodong Sinmun newspaper commented

"The US would be sadly mistaken if it thinks that it can browbeat someone through trite 'gunboat diplomacy' which it used to employ as an almighty weapon in the past and attain its sinister intention," it added.

ROK activists hold placards showing images of the Trump-Kim summit (L) and a ROK-US joint military drill (R) during a rally to demand a halt to the Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), a joint computer-simulated military exercise, near the US Embassy in Seoul on June 15, 2018. /VCG Photo

While no official sources admitted such drills.

US Forces Japan (USFJ) told reporters on Monday it was "not aware of the drills" mentioned in the DPRK and ROK media reports.

"In general, US aircrafts and ships operate from Japan every day in support of our commitments to our allies and partners in the region and in the interests of regional peace and security," Col. John Hutcheson, the director of public affairs of USFJ, said in a statement.

A spokesman at the US Embassy in Seoul also said there was no information available about the alleged drill. The US military spokesman in the ROK was not immediately available to comment.

The editorial urged the US to give up the "pointless military gamble" and implement the Singapore agreement, in which the leaders pledged to work toward a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Since the summit, the two sides have struggled to narrow differences over the denuclearization process.

US President Donald Trump and DPRK leader Kim Jong Un walk together before their working lunch during their summit at the Capella Hotel on the resort island of Sentosa, Singapore on June 12, 2018. /VCG Photo

Pyongyang is calling for a declaration of the end of the Korean War as part of security guarantees designed to encourage it to abandon its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, while the Trump administration says a peace deal and other concessions will only come after more progress on denuclearization.

In part to reassure the DPRK, Trump canceled or delayed joint military drills with the ROK, but smaller exercises continue.

'Regrettable' decision

The US State Department said on Monday that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday spoke over phone with ROK and Japanese foreign ministers to discuss the next step on the engagement with the DPRK

Trump for the first time admitted insufficient progress on the issue of denuclearization on Friday and canceled plans for Pompeo to make his fourth visit to the DPRK.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (R) and ROK Ambassador to the UN Cho Tae-yul (2nd L), shakes hand with ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha before a meeting on July 20, 2018, in New York. /VCG Photo

According to an announcement issued by State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert, Pompeo and ROK Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha "reaffirmed the United States and the Republic of Korea remain committed to the final, fully verified denuclearization" of the DPRK.

A statement released by the ROK's ministry also said Pompeo explained "in detail" the reasons for postponing the trip during the phone call but the statement did not elaborate.

Meanwhile, Kang called the cancellation "regrettable" while Pompeo reaffirmed the US position that it will continue to solidify ROK-US cooperation.

According to a separate statement issued by the US State Department, Pompeo and Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono also reaffirmed their commitment to the DPRK's final denuclearization, and "agreed that pressure must continue until the DPRK denuclearizes."

Pompeo and Kono "affirmed the strength of the US-Japan Alliance and vowed to continue working closely together to address common challenges, seize shared opportunities, and advance the interests of both the United States and Japan" in the region, read the statement.

(With inputs from agencies )

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a press conference on the sidelines of the 51st Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministerial Meeting (AMM) in Singapore on August 3, 2018. /VCG Photo