DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman Refutes Senior U.S. Diplomat's Remarks on Dialogue with DPRK

Pyongyang, February 1 (KCNA) -- The spokesman for the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA Sunday as regards the fact that the U.S. is working hard to shift the blame for the failure to hold dialogue with the DPRK onto the latter:

Kim Song, special representative for north Korea policy of the U.S. Department of State, in an interview during his tour of China on Jan. 30 let loose a spate of outbursts that the U.S. always keeps the door of dialogue for engagement and denuclearization open.

This is a foolish attempt of the U.S. to fan up an atmosphere of sanctions and pressure on the DPRK through "international cooperation" by shifting the blame for the failure to hold dialogue and negotiations for the settlement of the issue of the Korean peninsula onto the DPRK.

As well known to the world, entering the new year, the DPRK made bold and flexible proposals to defuse the danger of war, ease tension and create a peaceful climate on the Korean peninsula and is making every possible sincere effort to put them into practice.

It clarified its stand that it is ready to take responding steps for putting a moratorium on nuclear test, a concern of the U.S., in case the latter temporarily halts joint military exercises in south Korea and its vicinity.

It, at the same time, clarified that it is ready to sit at a negotiating table with the U.S. any time.

It also invited Kim Song to visit Pyongyang as he expressed his willingness to meet with his counterpart of the DPRK during his visit to Asia this time.

However, the U.S., in disregard of this, is working hard to shift the blame onto the DPRK, misleading public opinion by creating impression that dialogue and contacts are not realized due to the latter's insincere attitude.

While talking about dialogue, Kim insisted on the stance that the DPRK should first take its sincere attitude toward denuclearization if dialogue is to start. This means, in essence, refusing dialogue as it is aimed to disarm the dialogue partner, first of all.

Even the U.S. president openly said that it would bring down the social system in the DPRK. It is preposterous and a height of American-style shamelessness and hypocrisy to claim that the U.S. keeps the door of dialogue with the DPRK open.

The DPRK feels no need to sit at a negotiating table with the party totally denying the ideology and social system chosen by the Korean people and desperately working to bring down them.

The DPRK will resolutely counter the U.S. as long as it refuses to make its Korea policy switch and seeks "collapse of system" in the DPRK.