North Korea has rejected a proposal from the United States for peace talks, claiming that it is merely a ploy to deceive Pyongyang into suspending its nuclear weapons program. Kim Yo-jong, North Korea’s foreign policy chief and sister of leader Kim Jong-un, stated that the best way to ensure peace and stability on the Korean peninsula is for North Korea to demonstrate its military strength, rather than engage in friendly negotiations with the “gangster-like Americans.”
According to Kim Yo-jong, the US offer of peace negotiations is a “trick” to buy time in order to denuclearize North Korea. She argued that the US cannot stop the advancement of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) or achieve irreversible disarmament by offering reversible incentives such as sanctions relief, suspension of military exercises, or halting the deployment of strategic weapons in the region. In a statement published by state-run news agency KCNA, Kim Yo-jong referred to the US proposal as a “daydream.”
Kim’s comments came shortly after US President Joe Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, announced that the US was open to negotiating with North Korea “without preconditions” regarding its nuclear weapons program. Sullivan expressed concern about North Korea’s missile launches and the possibility of a seventh nuclear warhead test. However, Kim dismissed the US offer, emphasizing that the US should cease its provocations towards North Korea, as they endanger its own security.
Furthermore, Kim argued that even if the US were to remove all its troops from South Korea in exchange for permanent denuclearization by North Korea, it could easily redeploy strategic weapons and resume joint military exercises within a short period of time. She also highlighted that promises made by current administrations could be reversed by their successors, casting doubt on the credibility of any potential diplomatic concessions.
Kim went on to claim that tensions in the region have escalated under the Biden administration, to the point where the possibility of an actual armed conflict and even a nuclear war is being debated. She criticized the US political circles for their ability to manipulate the perception of North Korea, such as excluding it from the list of sponsors of terrorism one day and re-listing it the next.
In conclusion, North Korea has rejected the US proposal for peace talks, seeing it as a deceptive strategy to undermine its nuclear weapons program. Kim Yo-jong emphasized the importance of North Korea’s military strength and criticized the US for its provocations and reversibility of promises. She raised concerns about the escalating tensions in the region under the Biden administration and the possibility of armed conflict or nuclear war.
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