North Korea Says US Talks Will Remain Just a “Hope” If It Doesn’t Change Approach

North Korea has said that any talks with the United States will remain only a “hope” if Washington does not change its old approach. This statement was made on Tuesday by Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Kim Yo-jong, who is a senior official in North Korea’s ruling party, gave this message after US President Donald Trump showed interest in meeting with the North Korean leader again.

She warned that if the US continues with its past strategy and refuses to accept today’s reality, then a meeting between the two countries would only be something the US can wish for — not a real possibility.

“If the US refuses to accept the changed reality and sticks to its failed past, then talks between the US and North Korea will stay as a ‘hope’ only for America,” she said in a statement published by North Korea’s state media, Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

She also said that for any real talks to happen, the US must recognise North Korea as a nuclear state. If the US tries to deny this, North Korea will strongly reject any dialogue.

Despite her strong words, Kim Yo-jong did mention that the personal relationship between the leaders of the two countries — her brother Kim Jong-un and Donald Trump — was “not bad.” This suggests that there is still some possibility of better ties, but only if the US drops its demand for denuclearisation.

She added that if the goal of building personal relations is only to push for North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, then that effort is pointless and disrespectful.

Kim Yo-jong also commented on South Korean President Lee Jae-myung, who recently expressed interest in resuming talks with the North to reduce military tensions and improve relations between the two Koreas.

This was North Korea’s first official response to President Lee’s administration, which began last month.

But Kim was not impressed. She said the new South Korean leader is just like the previous one, still depending too much on the alliance with the US and choosing to confront North Korea instead of seeking peace.

“No matter how hard the Lee government tries to get our attention, our view towards South Korea will not change,” she said.