[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on the 30th (local time) demanded North Korea to resume talks, saying, "I hope to sit down again with the North Korean leadership." Despite North Korea's harsh criticism of him, he reaffirmed his willingness to negotiate.
During a phone conference with Asian media on the same day, Secretary Pompeo stated, "We hope to have the opportunity to sit down again with the North Korean leadership and begin planning a path toward a brighter future for the North Korean people," adding, "This has been President (Donald) Trump's position since we began our efforts."
North Korea, in a statement issued under the name of the 'New Director of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' U.S. Negotiations Department,' said, "Hearing Pompeo's latest outrageous remarks, we have once again firmly lost our willingness to engage in talks."
The phone conference was held less than four hours after the Foreign Ministry director's statement was reported. This allowed Secretary Pompeo to directly respond to North Korea's reaction.
However, he emphasized that UN sanctions against North Korea would continue until there are tangible results in North Korea-U.S. negotiations.
Regarding the COVID-19 situation, Secretary Pompeo reiterated his intention to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea. He publicly stated, "We have offered humanitarian assistance through the World Food Bank. We made that offer directly."
Although Secretary Pompeo has repeatedly expressed his intention to support North Korea along with Iran in relation to the COVID-19 crisis, this is the first time he mentioned the World Food Bank.
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