F-35A 2대 도입에 北외무성 바로 비난... 다음주 최고인민회의 이후 북미대화 가능성
Despite continued calls to come to the negotiating table.... North Korea continues to express no interest in talks.
The regime's stance is this: that Seoul and Washington killed the dialogue atmosphere.
Oh Jung-hee help us read between the lines.
North Korea was quick to respond to the arrival of the additional F-35A stealth fighter jets in South Korea on Wednesday.
On Thursday, Pyeongyang's foreign ministry released a statement, criticizing Seoul's "arms reinforcement."
It stressed that South Korea, despite the North's continued warnings, is now bringing in F-35A stealth fighter jets from the U.S., right after their joint military exercise ended.
The Seoul-Washington exercise "Combined Command Post Training" ended on Tuesday... and two F-35A stealth fighters arrived in South Korea's Cheongju Air Base on Wednesday.
Another two jets will arrive this week, bringing the number of the jets owned by Seoul to eight.
The North said the moves were (quote) "increasing military hostilities" from South Korea and the U.S., which kills the momentum for dialogue and pushes the North to look for ways to deter the threat.
Pyeongyang added... it still hopes to resolve the issues peacefully through dialogue and negotiations, but that it's not interested in dialogue that accompanies military threats.
Hopes were that North Korea would come back to the negotiating table with the U.S. once the Seoul-Washington joint drills ended,... just as Kim Jong-un told President Trump in a letter two weeks ago.
But the North, for now, is continuing its streak of condemnations against South Korea and the U.S.
However, speculation is that working-level negotiations between Pyeongyang and Washington could take place in early September.
That... after the North holds its parliamentary meeting of the Supreme People's Assembly next week and determines its stance.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
