North Korea’s plan to denuclearize was not the result of pressure from the United States, the country’s news agency announced this week, adding that the U.S. was intentionally misleading the public by claiming otherwise. The U.S. government has repeatedly claimed North Korea’s decision to denuclearize was the result of imposed sanctions and a “maximum pressure” campaign from the Trump administration.
“It would not be conducive to addressing the issue if the U.S. miscalculates the peace-loving intention of the DPRK (North Korea) as a sign of ‘weakness’ and continues to pursue its pressure and military threats. This act cannot be construed otherwise than a dangerous attempt to ruin the hardly-won atmosphere of dialogue and bring the situation back to square one,” a North Korean foreign ministry spokesman said.
The foreign ministry spokesman also warned the U.S. that they should avoid intentionally provoking the country by raising the concern of human rights issues. The news comes after North and South Korea announced that they would be moving toward denuclearization at a historic summit that took place last month. Specific plans on how, and when, that would be achieved were not laid out.
The news also comes only weeks before a historic summit is set to take place between President Trump and Kim Jong Un. The Trump administration has not responded to North Korea’s comments at the time of this writing. It is not yet clear whether they will have any effect on the proposed peace talks.
Photo by South Korean Blue House via Wikimedia Commons