Kim Yo Jong firmly rejected the US call for unconditional talks. (file)
Seoul:
Kim Yo Jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, said on Monday that the United States should refrain from any “foolish acts” that could jeopardize its security, state media KCNA news agency reported. Offers of talks were dismissed as a ploy.
Ms Kim made the comments after White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the United States is concerned North Korea will conduct another intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test after it fired an ICBM off its east coast last week.
In a statement carried by KCNA, Kim Yo Jong said, “The United States must stop a senseless act that threatens its security by provoking us.”
He criticized US plans to send a nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarine to South Korea, saying such efforts to mount “extended deterrence” would only push Pyongyang away from the negotiating table.
Ms. Kim also rejected the US call for unconditional talks, saying Washington is wrong if it believes North Korea’s disarmament is possible.
“The United States is delusional if it thinks it can stop our progress and achieve irreversible disarmament by temporarily halting joint military exercises, deploying strategic assets or easing sanctions,” he said.
North Korea has in recent days accused US spy planes of flying over its exclusive economic zone, condemned the recent visit of a US nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine to South Korea and vowed to retaliate. Have sworn
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