North Korea threatens to interrupt dialogue with the United States

North Korea threatened on Monday (March 30th) to cut off dialogue with the United States when the US foreign minister said he was impatient for negotiations to resume.

" Hearing Pompeo's ridiculous rhetoric made us give up all hope of dialogue, " an official in charge of negotiations with the United States told the official North Korean news agency KCNA. " We will chart our own course, " said the unidentified official.

Read also: Coronavirus: diplomats evacuated from North Korea

The previous week, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had called on members of the international community to " remain committed to exerting diplomatic and economic pressure " on the nuclear-armed country, while calling on Pyongyang to resume dialogue . North Korea, meanwhile, tested "very large caliber" multiple rocket launchers on Sunday.

North Korea and the United States are deadlocked on the nuclear issue, at the same time that Washington offers its help to Pyongyang to fight the new coronavirus. Analysts say Pyongyang is gradually refining its military capabilities, despite international sanctions and convictions. North Korean official accused Pompeo of " insulting a country with which its president (Donald Trump) wanted to establish a good relationship ", referring to a letter from the American president to the leader Kim Jong One. In the latter, the American president offered to cooperate in North Korea's efforts to fight the Covid-19 epidemic.

Read also: North Korea fires two unidentified projectiles

In a telephone interview with the South Korean news agency Yonhap and Asian media, Pompeo said that his position has always been " in phase " with that of Donald Trump. " On the American side, we have diligently tried to move these negotiations forward and we hope to have the opportunity to do so ," he added. " President Trump has also been clear (...) The sanctions, not the American sanctions but the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council will continue to be applied, " added Mike Pompeo.