Pyongyang rejects call for talks

Updated - November 16, 2021 08:16 pm IST - Seoul

North Korea on Sunday rejected calls by South Korea for a dialogue to ease tensions on the Peninsula, amid Pyongyang’s threats of war.

Pyongyang dismissed the offer to hold talks from South Korean President Park Guen Hye as “a cunning ploy to hide the South’s policy of confrontation,” according to the Yonhap news agency.

A spokesman for Pyongyang’s Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea said no substantial negotiations could take place amid ongoing joint military exercises between South Korea and the United States.

“Under these circumstances, is it possible to hold a dialogue? Such a dialogue would be meaningless,” the spokesman was quoted as saying.

During separate meetings with US Secretary of State John Kerry and NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, who visited Seoul earlier, Ms. Park said she was prepared to talk with Pyongyang and “activate the trust-building process.” She made the offer after operations at an inter-Korean industrial park in North Korea’s border city of Kaesong was halted last week, raising concerns that Pyongyang was preparing to test-fire one of its medium-range missiles.

Mr. Kerry warned that North Korea would be making a “huge mistake” if it carries out a rocket test amid the tensions, and stressed the United States would defend its Asian allies against attacks.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.