04 March 2018•Update: 05 March 2018
By Alex Jensen
SEOUL
North Korea is ready to go to war with the U.S. and will refuse talks with “any precondition,” according to Pyongyang’s Foreign Ministry on Saturday.
“The U.S. should not misjudge our intention for dialogue,” a ministry spokesperson stated according to the North’s official KCNA news agency in an English-language report.
“We (intend) 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.,” the official added.
Pyongyang’s recent openness for talks with Washington comes as the reclusive state cooperated with South Korea on an unprecedented level at last month’s PyeongChang Winter Olympics.
American President Donald Trump said in late February that dialogue with the North could happen under the “right conditions,” with Washington officials repeatedly insisting Pyongyang must denuclearize if it wants to escape ongoing sanctions and the threat of military action.
The issue has become even more pressing because South Korean President Moon Jae-in said last week he will send a special envoy to the North after being personally invited to Pyongyang.
Moon had previously called on his neighbor to speak with the U.S. before a possible third inter-Korean summit – the last of which took place more than a decade ago.
But hopes of a breakthrough are dimming with Saturday’s statement from North Korea describing denuclearization on American terms as “more than ridiculous.”
