Elaborating on previous calls from Kim Jong Un to show more flexibility, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said the US was risking “unintended consequences” if they don’t change their position on denuclearization to one more palatable to both sides.
Choe mentioned Mike Pompeo’s threat to “change paths” if North Korea
doesn’t give the US everything they want, saying that changing paths
isn’t an option that only the United States has, and that North Korea
could also make that decision.
She further said that the North Koreans remain determined to get rid of
their nuclear arsenal, but US comments and positions are forcing them to
hesitate. After the Hanoi Summit, the US indicated that
denuclearization meant to them that North Korea would give the US its
nuclear arms.
North Korea is keen for a deal where dismantling the arms and the
infrastructure is enough, and in return the US both allows a peace
treaty with South Korea and starts letting UN sanctions get lifted. US
officials are ruling out either until North Korea gives them everything
they want, which officials say could take several years.
North Korea Warns of ‘Undesired Consequences’ If US Doesn’t Change Stance
Vice FM: Changing paths isn't only an option for the US
Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.
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