North Korea threatens to cut off nuclear talks after Pompeo's comments

North Korea threatened to suspend nuclear talks with America, describing recent remarks from US secretary of state Mike Pompeo’s on the negotiations as “ludicrous”.

Pompeo asked nations to “stay committed to applying diplomatic and economic pressure” over the North’s nuclear and ballistic missile programmes and called for a return to talks.

“Listening to Pompeo’s ludicrous language made us give up on any hopes for dialogue,” an unnamed official said, according to the North’s Korean Central News Agency. “We will walk our way.”

The Secretary of State said that the US had “diligently” tried to move negotiations forward since the 2018 Singapore summit and “we will get the opportunity to do that”.

He also said that “President Trump has also been clear, until we get to that point, till we get to the point where we have made sufficient progress along the way, the sanctions – not American sanctions, but UN security council resolutions – will continue to be enforced and in place.”

North Korea is asking for a reduction of multiple sets of sanctions from the United Nations, the US and others over its nuclear weapons development.

Pompeo had “unleashed insult at a country with which his president was willing to forge a good relationship”, the North Korean official continued, referring to Trump’s letter sent to Kim expressing an intent to cooperate in anti-epidemic efforts. “It is puzzling who the real commander in chief is in the US.”