Amid stalled nuclear talks between the U.S. and North Korea... we have more on that letter North Korea has sent to the U.S.,... in which,... the regime asked Washington to bring something to the table.... if it wants to talk in Pyongyang.
The U.S., meanwhile, has renewed its ban on Americans traveling to the North.
Lee Ji-won starts us off.
It appears U.S. President Donald Trump didn't have a choice but to call off his Secretary of State's fourth visit to Pyongyang as Washington had "nothing to offer" the regime.
Citing an unnamed government official, Reuters reported Thursday what was in the secret letter Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of North Korea's Workers' Party's central committee, sent to the U.S.
It said "Mike Pompeo should not come to Pyongyang, if the U.S. has nothing to offer."
The regime has been asking the U.S. to declare an end to the Korean War, while the Trump administration has been pushing Pyongyang for a inventory of its nuclear and missile programs and other military assets.
The official added that the North Koreans seem to be thinking the U.S. is not fulfilling its side of the bargain,... which appears to back up a report by U.S.-based media outlet Vox, which said President Trump promised North Korean leader Kim Jong-un a peace treaty sometime soon after their summit in June.
But the Trump administration continues to insist denuclearization has to take place before anything else.
Amid concerns over the stalemate, the U.S. remains firm on its restrictions on the regime.
The U.S. State Department has extended its ban on Americans' travel to North Korea for another year,... until August 31st 2019.
It cited concerns about the threat of arrest.
U.S. law stipulates that travel restrictions on Americans may be imposed if "there is imminent danger to the public health or physical safety of U.S. travelers in the country or area."
But it's known that "individuals who wish to travel to or within North Korea for extremely limited purposes," and whose travel is in the U.S. national interest, can apply for a "special validation" from the State Department.
There will also be exceptions if the trip is justified by "compelling humanitarian considerations."
The ban was imposed in September last year after the death of American student Otto Warmbier, who was sentenced to 15 years of hard labor by the North after allegedly trying to steal a propaganda sign.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.
