DPRK urges bold move to revive nuclear diplomacy

SEOUL－The Democratic People's Republic of Korea said Friday that it wants US President Donald Trump to make a "wise option and bold decision" to produce a breakthrough in stalled nuclear diplomacy, in an escalation of pressure on the United States ahead of an expected resumption of talks.

The statement by DPRK Foreign Ministry adviser Kim Kye-gwan came days after Trump said another meeting with the DPRK's top leader Kim Jong-un "could happen soon" without elaborating.

Kim Kye-gwan said he doubts another summit could achieve a breakthrough because of prevailing opinion in Washington that Pyongyang must first disarm before getting major concessions and that US-led sanctions brought the DPRK to the negotiating table.

Kim accused the US of not acting to implement a joint statement issued after the first summit between the DPRK leader and Trump in Singapore last year. He said the DPRK, for its part, made "sincere efforts" to build mutual trust and carry out the Singapore statement, citing the repatriation of three US detainees and US war remains from the 1950-1953 Korean War period.

"But I came to know that President Trump is different from his predecessors in political sense and decision while watching his approach to the DPRK, so I would like to place my hope on President Trump's wise option and bold decision," Kim Kye-gwan said. "We will follow the future moves of the US."

Kim, in his mid-70s, is a veteran diplomat who led the DPRK delegation at the Six-Party Talks held in Beijing from 2003-2008.

Pyongyang entered talks with Washington last year, saying it's willing to negotiate away its advancing nuclear arsenal in exchange for US sanctions relief. The DPRK wants a slow, step-by-step disarmament process, in which each of its denuclearization steps is matched by a corresponding US reward. But the US insists that sanctions on the DPRK will remain in place until the country takes significant steps toward denuclearization.

During the Singapore summit, Kim Jong-un promised to work toward complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. In Singapore, Kim and Trump also agreed to establish new bilateral relations and build a lasting peace on the peninsula.

The talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been stalled since the no-deal summit meeting between Kim and Trump in Hanoi, Vietnam, in late February.

Last week, the DPRK Foreign Ministry said working-level nuclear talks with the US could resume in a few weeks.