DPRK Foreign Ministry Spokesman on DPRK-U.S. Dialogue

Pyongyang, March 3 (KCNA) -- The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the DPRK gave the following answer to a question put by KCNA on March 3 as regards the attitude of the United States taken after we have stated our intention for DPRK-U.S. dialogue:

Recently, with regard to the DPRK-U.S. dialogue, the U.S. is taking preposterous action by continuing to trumpet an insistence that it will not have dialogue unless a right condition is met and that it will keep watching if we have intention to abandon nuclear weapons and missiles and so on.

The U.S., that was terrified at the rapid development of our nuclear force and has continued to knock the door of dialogue, now feigns an indifference and advances this or that precondition. Not being content with it, it insists that it will have dialogue only for making the DPRK abandon nuclear weapons and persist in "maximum pressure" until complete denuclearization is realized. This is really more than ridiculous.

Thanks to our noble love for the nation and great determination to terminate confrontation with fellow countrymen and achieve peace on the Korean peninsula, the north and the south together have ensured successful holding of Phyongchang Winter Olympics and are now opening a new chapter of reconciliation and cooperation.

Out of the desire of our nation and international society aspiring after peace, we have clarified our position that a dialogue with the U.S. will be possible.

It is the consistent and principled position of the DPRK to resolve issues in a diplomatic and peaceful way through dialogue and negotiation.

The dialogue we desire is the one designed to discuss and resolve the issues of mutual concern on an equal footing between states.

In decades-long history of the DPRK-U.S. talks, there had been no case at all where we sat with the U.S. on any precondition, and this will be the case in future, too.

The U.S. attitude shown after we clarified our intention for DPRK-U.S. dialogue compels us to only think that the U.S. is not interested in resuming the DPRK-U.S. dialogue.

We have intention to resolve issues in a diplomatic and peaceful way through dialogue and negotiation, but we will neither beg for dialogue nor evade the military option claimed by the U.S.

We have full capability and will to confront any option favored by the U.S.

Whether peace desired by our nation and the rest of the world settles on the Korean peninsula or a situation that no one desires is developed in the vicious cycle of confrontation depends entirely on the attitude of the U.S.

The U.S. should not misjudge our intention for dialogue. -0-