Asia Pacific
16:02, 18-Apr-2019
KCNA says DPRK wants Pompeo gone from nuclear dialogue
Updated
20:04, 18-Apr-2019
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Thursday demanded the removal of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo from stalled nuclear talks between Pyongyang and Washington, calling for someone who "is more careful and mature in communicating," said DPRK's state media KCNA.
"I am afraid that, if Pompeo engages in the talks again, the table will be lousy once again and the talks will become entangled," Kwon Jong Gun, director general of the Department of American Affairs at DPRK's Foreign Affairs Ministry said, according to the official KCNA news agency.
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"Therefore, even in the case of possible resumption of the dialogue with the U.S., I wish our dialogue counterpart would be not Pompeo but... [another] person who is more careful and mature in communicating with us."
Kwon also said that "no one can predict" the situation on the Korean Peninsula if the United States does not abandon the "root cause" that compelled Pyongyang to develop its nuclear program, without elaborating, reported KCNA.
The comments were released hours after Pyongyang announced the test-firing of a new tactical weapon with a "powerful warhead" – the first such test since nuclear negotiations with Washington stalled.
Last Friday, DPRK leader Kim Jong Un expressed his willingness to hold a third summit with U.S. President Donald Trump. Trump tweeted a third summit with Kim "would be good" in response.
Source(s): AFP
,Reuters