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(CNN) - North Korea will send a “Christmas gift” to the United States, but what it contains will depend on the outcome of the ongoing talks between Washington and Pyongyang, a senior official warned.
The ominous comments, which some have interpreted as a signal that North Korea could resume long-distance missile tests, are presented as the clock approaches the self-imposed end-of-year deadline for nuclear negotiations with the Trump government.
Conversations between the two sides appear to be in a routine in recent months, in which North Korea has conducted several tests of smaller-range missiles.
In a statement translated in the state news agency, Ri Thae Song, first deputy minister of the North Korean Foreign Ministry working on US affairs, accused US policy makers of taking advantage of talks with Kim Jong Un to obtain internal political benefits.
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un rides a white horse on a snowy and symbolic mountain
"The dialogue promoted by the United States is, in essence, nothing more than a silly trick designed to keep the DPRK committed to dialogue and use it in favor of the political situation and elections in the United States," Ri said, using the acronym of the official name of North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"It is entirely up to the United States what Christmas gift you will receive," Ri added.
In 2017, North Korea referred to its first trial launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) as a “gift” to the United States on the July 4 holiday. That launch provoked what became a tense clash of months between the two sides.
What happens in the coming weeks will probably determine if Washington's next “Christmas gift” turns out to be equally volatile.
"It's hard to predict why it could go in any direction," said Duyeon Kim, senior advisor on Northeast Asia and the nuclear policy of the International Crisis Group. “It really depends on the circumstances and the situation, which will better inform how North Korea reacts.
- Photographs of Kim Jong Un posted next to what appears to be a submarine
An important meeting
On Wednesday, the Korea Central News Agency of the state of North Korea announced that the most powerful political body in the country, the Central Committee of the Korean Workers Party will meet at the end of December "to discuss and decide on issues crucial in line with the development needs of the Korean revolution and the changed situation in the country and abroad. ”
"The outcome of this meeting and Pyongyang's political line will depend on how happy they are with Washington and will be revealed in (Kim Jong Un), the New Year's speech," said Duyeon Kim.
Washington, meanwhile, has not expressed much alarm about the state of the talks with North Korea.
Speaking in London on the sidelines of a NATO summit on Tuesday, US President Donald Trump said "we will see what happens" when it comes to North Korea.
"My relationship with Kim Jong Un is really good, but that doesn't mean it doesn't comply with the agreement we signed," Trump said. "I hope it lives up to the agreement, but we will find out," Trump added.
“(Kim Jong Un) definitely likes to send rockets, right? That's why I call it 'Rocket Man', ”Trump added.
Kim rode back to Mount Paektu
North Korea's decision to hold the meeting was announced the same day that KCNA launched dozens of photographs showing Kim Jong Un on horseback touring Mount Paektu, an active volcano located on the country's border with China, next to His wife and other officials. This was Kim's second trip on horseback from the top of the mountain since October.
While the photographs are the center of jokes and teasing online, Kim's images riding across the mountain are full of powerful symbolism.
According to legend, Mount Paektu is the birthplace of Dangun, the mythical founder of the first Korean kingdom about 4,000 years ago.
It is also believed that Kim Il Sung, grandfather of Kim Jong Un and founding father of North Korea, led a cavalry unit against the Japanese occupation from a mountain base.
Putting Kim on horseback on Mount Paektu, according to Michael Madden, a North Korean leadership expert at the Stimson Foundation, is probably a connection they want to make of the image of the North Korean leader, with his grandfather, as he wears a similar coat with the one who was often seen in public; This probably reminds North Koreans of the Kim family's legacy of fighting imperialism.
"Kim Jong Un is assuming his grandfather's anti-imperialist credentials," Madden added.
However, it is not clear why Kim did the photo shoot on the mountain. Kim could have stopped there after a recently reported visit to the nearby town of Samjiyon, instead of making a dedicated visit.
Kim Jong Un