Today marks the second anniversary of the first summit between Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, and North Korea has questioned why it needs to “hold hands” with the United States.
The statement is essentially a refutation of Donald Trump, who has described his relationship with Pyongyang as one of the key achievements of his presidency.
Relations between the United States and North Korea improved dramatically before talks between the two countries in Singapore in 2018.
“The hope for better relations that was expressed around the world two years ago has now turned into despair,” said North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Sun-gwon.
According to the Korean state news agency, he said that “even the illusions of peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula have now turned into darkness.”
He also appeared to criticize President Trump, who is preparing for re-election in November. He said North Korea would “never again offer a package to use them to its advantage without any benefit.”
“The question is whether there is a need to hold hands in Singapore because there is no ‘tangible benefit’ in maintaining personal relationships,” he said.
Instead, the foreign minister said, Pyongyang would build a “more credible force” to counter long-term military threats from the United States.
The 2018 summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un in Singapore was the first meeting between any incumbent US president and any North Korean leader.
After decades of hostilities, the two countries agreed on ambiguous terms for denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula.
The second summit in Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, in 2019 ended prematurely without an agreement because the two countries could not agree on what it means for North Korea to destroy nuclear weapons or denuclearize. And what steps should be taken for this?
North Korea has called for sanctions to be lifted, but the United States has said no.
Relations deteriorated further in the coming months and the failure of negotiations with the United States led North Korea to almost sever ties with South Korea, although these relations had improved considerably.
North Korea resumes arms tests in 2019 The trials were seen as an attempt to put pressure on the United States.
Relations between North and South Korea deteriorated further this week when North Korea cut off all communication with South Korea, including a hotline between the two countries’ leaders.
