The representative of N. Korea for denuclearization talks in Sweden, Kim Myong Gil, showed pouty face after eight and a half hours talk. (Image via ABC-CBN News)

Disappointed, N. Korea walks away from talks with the U.S

After eight and a half hours of talking, the denuclearization talks between North Korea (N. Korea) and the United States (U.S) crumbled as the N. Korean side stated its disappointment with the Western side. After five months of stalemate, the U.S and N. Korea finally met again at N. Korean Embassy in Lidingo, a small island located north-east of Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, Saturday.

The meeting was not attended by both country leaders. N. Korea was represented by Kim Myong Gil, the U.S was represented by its Special Envoy for N. Korea, Stephen Biegun.

Kim was disappointed by how the U.S offered inflexible approaches that the talks fell off not according to N. Korea’s expectations. The top nuclear negotiator for N. Korea even emphasized that the disappointment was “great”. He added that the U.S still adhered to its selfish stance and attitude.

While Kim stated such, the spokesperson of the U.S State Department, Morgan Ortagus, stated otherwise. After denying Kim’s statement, Ortagus stated that the U.S side had delivered its ideas and they had a good talk.

The talks came just days after N. Korean tested its 11th and its latest toy, submarine-launched ballistic projectiles, one of which crashed into the Sea of Japan. The international community saw this action as a provocation by N. Korea after the United Nations Security Council resolution that bans N. Korea from firing any ballistic projectile.

The political experts predicted that the talks were only an intro to the summit between the two country leaders. The President of the U.S, Donald Trump, and the Supreme Leader of N. Korea, Kim Jong-un, had met in a summit thrice: the first in Singapore in 2018, the second in Hanoi Summit in February, and the latest in South Korean (S. Korea) Demilitarized Zone (DMZ).

The three talks only resulted in trivial progress, but until the latest meeting between the representatives from the two countries, nothing worth mentioning happened.

Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49947836