Amid growing expectations over the resumption of nuclear talks,.... the U.S. says, it hasn't been able to set up the schedule for working-level talks with North Korea yet.
This as North Korea's top diplomat hoped for a "wise decision" from U.S. President Donald Trump in regards to the denuclearization process.
Oh Jung-hee reports.
Working-level denuclearization talks between North Korea and the U.S. are not likely to happen in late September after all.
Speaking at a press conference in New York on Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington was not able to arrange the schedule for a meeting this month.
But he stressed Washington is ready to meet North Korea and believes it is important to do so.
After months of deadlock, the North's Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said in a statement early this month that North Korea was willing to meet with U.S. officials in late September.
As the U.S. also hinted of taking a "new method" in its negotiations with the North, working-level talks were highly expected to take place.
But the delay, a North Korea expert says, comes as the two sides have not been able to narrow their differences.
"From North Korea's point of view, it's not in their interest to initiate or resume the working-level talks with the United States when they believe that it's unlikely the U.S. government will change its position towards North Korea."
And the expert's point was backed up by what North Korea had to say in another statement released on Friday.
Kim Kye-gwan, an advisor to Pyeongyang's foreign ministry, said the U.S. has done nothing to implement its promises made at their previous summits... and therefore, the prospects for a third Kim-Trump summit are dim.
He stressed that having another summit wouldn't help efforts for a breakthrough because there are still views in Washington that the North has to denuclearize before any sanctions relief or economic concessions can be provided to the regime.
The North Korean diplomat called for a (quote)"wise and bold decision" from President Trump.
Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News.
