North Korea lambasts Bolton for ‘dim-sighted’ denuclearization remarks

A top North Korean diplomat has slammed US National Security Advisor John Bolton for his “nonsense” and “dim-sighted” call for denuclearization amid stalled talks between the two nations following the fruitless summit in Hanoi.

In an interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday, Bolton said that Washington could only proceed with further negotiations once there is “a real indication” that Pyongyang is ready to give up its nuclear program.

Bolton’s words caused outrage in North Korea as the country’s Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui dubbed his remarks as “nonsense,” adding that they were “devoid of discretion and reason,” according to country’s state-run KCNA agency.

Bolton’s stunt also made the Pyongyang diplomat wonder whether the claims stemmed from the “incomprehension of the intentions of the top leaders” or if the national security adviser was trying to add his own vision to the debate.

All things considered, his word has no charm in it and he looks dim-sighted to me.

John Bolton is not the first US official to recently come under fire from the North Korean authorities. Another top Foreign Ministry official earlier asked for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to be removed from the nuclear talks.

This plea from Pyongyang was in vain, however, as Pompeo later indicated that he was “still in charge of the team,” adding that the US “will continue to press North Korea to abandon all of its weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles related programs and facilities.”

Meanwhile, in recent weeks both Kim and Trump came up with fairly positive statements about a possible third bilateral summit. While US President Trump hailed his personal relationship with Kim and made it clear that the door to the next meeting is open, the North Korean leader said he welcomes the talks but urged the US to come to the table with “correct posture.”

The Kim-Trump summit in Hanoi essentially failed last February, despite bearing huge symbolical meaning, as both sides walked away without a deal. Pyongyang later bemoaned senior figures in the Trump team overriding the president’s efforts and complicating the talks with a “gangster-like”approach.

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