North Korea: US faces 'undesired consequences' over nuclear stance
Pyongyang reacts to a US-set deadline as both sides engage in sabre-rattling following the collapse of the Trump-Kim summit.
Wednesday 1 May 2019 09:56, UK
North Korea has warned the US it could face "truly undesired consequences" if it does not change its stance in talks over denuclearisation by the end of the year.
Responding to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's own warning last week that Washington may have to "change paths" if negotiations break down, North Korean vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui said "changing paths is not a privilege that only the United States has".
"It could be our own choice if we make up our mind. If the United States fails to re-establish its position within the timeline we gave, it will see truly undesired consequences," Ms Choe said, according to state-run news agency KCNA.
Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un's summit in Hanoi in February collapsed after Mr Trump handed the North Korean leader a piece of paper demanding Pyongyang hand all its nuclear weapons and bomb fuel over to the US.
It was the first time that Mr Trump himself had explicitly defined what he meant by denuclearisation directly to the North Korean leader.
At the time, the US president said he walked away from the talks because Mr Kim was asking for the lifting of all US sanctions in exchange for closing the Yongbyon nuclear facility where North Korea enriches uranium.
Pyongyang contradicted that, claiming its leader demanded only some sanctions were lifted in return for shutting its main nuclear complex.
Mr Kim has set a year-end deadline for Washington to change its position, which has been dismissed by Mr Trump and Mr Pompeo.
Ms Choe said North Korea was still determined to give up its nuclear weapons, but insisted it would happen "when the time comes".
"We know the path we will take, but we're just hesitating to choose as we have set the deadline for the United States," she added.
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Mr trump has hinted at another summit, but Mr Pompeo said in an interview with The Hill on Monday he did not know whether a third meeting could take place as soon as the summer.
On Sunday, Mr Trump's National Security Adviser John Bolton said Pyongyang could win relief from sanction by taking steps towards denuclearisation, but told Fox News Sunday the US was not interested in proposed multi-party talks, hinting they preferred a one-to-one between the two leaders.