(2nd LD) N.K. vice FM renews calls for U.S. to drop 'hostile policy'

All News 23:43 November 20, 2019

(ATTN: CHANGES headline, lead; UPDATES throughout)

SEOUL/MOSCOW, Nov. 20 (Yonhap) -- A senior North Korean diplomat on Wednesday renewed calls for Washington to drop its "hostile policy" against Pyongyang, saying denuclearization could be discussed again in future talks only after such a policy is abolished.

First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui made the remarks after meeting senior Russian officials, including Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, in Moscow. She arrived in the Russian capital for the two countries' inaugural strategic dialogue on bilateral and international issues.

"In my opinion, the discussions related to the nuclear issue might have been taken off the negotiating table for future talks," Choe told reporters.

"I think the nuclear issue can be discussed again when the U.S. abolishes all hostile policies toward North Korea," she added.

Touching on the prospects of another summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, Choe said talks between the leaders may not be a matter of interest to the North if the hostile policy remains.

In recent days, current and former North Korean nuclear negotiators have made repeated calls for the U.S. to scrap what they call its "hostile policy" -- a move apparently aimed at pressuring Washington to show flexibility in the deadlocked nuclear negotiations.

Earlier in the day, Choe met Moscow officials.

At around 10:35 a.m., Choe and other North Korean officials were spotted entering the guesthouse of Russia's foreign ministry in downtown Moscow. Before their arrival, Russian Ambassador-at-Large Oleg Burmistrov entered the guesthouse.

Choe's trip appears aimed at strengthening Pyongyang's diplomatic hand in its nuclear negotiations with the U.S. through closer cooperation with Russia. She is considered North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's key nuclear strategist.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov told reporters that Choe came to attend the strategic dialogue at the invitation of Russian First Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov.

"We will discuss the entire spectrum of international issues, regional problems, bilateral relations," Morgulov was quoted as saying by Russia's TASS news agency.

"It is a kind of a view from the strategic perspective on international relations, the regional agenda, a kind of coordination," he added.

Her trip comes as Pyongyang has been ramping up its demand for Washington to come up with an acceptable proposal before a resumption of denuclearization talks between the two countries.

Denuclearization talks have made little headway since the breakdown of the second summit between Trump and Kim in February over differences in how to compensate for Pyongyang's denuclearization steps.

The two countries held working-level talks in Sweden last month for the first time since the summit but made little headway.

On Sunday, South Korea and the U.S. announced the postponement of combined military exercises to support diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the North in an "act of goodwill" aimed at bolstering diplomacy over North Korea. Hours later, Trump tweeted a message to Kim urging him to "act quickly" and "get the deal done."

Despite such reconciliatory gestures, the North has ramped up its demand for Washington to make a bold decision before the end of this year, a deadline earlier set by its leader Kim.

Observers see Choe's visit to Russia this week as intended to strengthen Pyongyang's ties with Moscow and put pressure on Washington to come to the negotiation table with a changed attitude.