Speaking at the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) session on Saturday, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho berated the US for what he described as its attempts to move away from initial steps to maintain peace on the Korean Peninsula.
Ri underscored that all this comes as Pyongyang initiated a spate of "goodwill measures", including "a moratorium on nuclear tests and rocket launch tests as well as dismantling of a nuclear test ground."
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"However, the United States, instead of responding to these measures, is raising its voice louder for maintaining the sanctions against the DPRK [Democratic People's Republic of Korea] and showing the attitude (that it may) backtrack, even from declaring the end of the [1950-1953 Korean] war, a very basic and primary step for providing peace on the Korean Peninsula," he pointed out.
Ri signaled North Korea's determination to adhere to the DPRK-US Joint Statement, which was clinched during June's Pyongyang-Washington summit, in a "responsible and good-faith manner."
"What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the US to go back to the old (situation), far from its leader's intention," he noted.
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Ri's remarks came after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urged other countries to strictly enforce UN sanctions against Pyongyang, emphasizing the significance of "maintaining diplomatic and economic pressure on North Korea to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization that DPRK has agreed to."
Earlier, Reuters cited a UN report as claiming that Pyongyang has not stopped its nuclear and missile programs, in violation of the United Nations sanctions.
The Washington Post, in turn, quoted unnamed sources familiar with the information that US intelligence agencies have allegedly seen signs that North Korea was developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles, including the type that could reach the United States mainland.
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At the same time, US President Donald Trump said during a speech in Granite City, Illinois, last week that Kim Jong-un was making great progress toward peace on the Korean Peninsula after the two leaders held their historic summit in Singapore on June 12.
Pyongyang has faced several rounds of sanctions over its nuclear and ballistic missile tests, conducted in violation of the UN Security Council's resolutions. The restrictions have not been lifted yet despite easing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
