N. Korea says will ignore contact from U.S. unless Washington withdraws hostile policies

SEOUL, March 18 (Yonhap) -- North Korea on Thursday said it will continue to ignore any contact from the United States unless Washington withdraws its hostile policies toward Pyongyang.

North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui also confirmed in a statement that the U.S. has reached out to Pyongyang even the day before its combined exercises with South Korea from a "third country."

"We have already made our point clear that no North Korea-U.S. contact or talks will be held unless the U.S. withdraws hostile policies to us and that we will continue to ignore its attempts to reach out to us," Choe said in the statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

The White House earlier said it has reached out to North Korea for talks, but the North has remained unresponsive. The statement also comes as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin are in Seoul for talks with their South Korean counterparts.

julesyi@yna.co.kr
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