Statement of First Vice Foreign Minister of DPRK

Pyongyang, March 18 (KCNA) -- Choe Son Hui, first vice minister of Foreign Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), issued the following statement on Wednesday:

The U.S. has tried to contact us since mid-February through several routes including New York.

It recently requested to contact us by sending e-mails and telephone messages via various routes. Even in the evening before the joint military drill it sent a message imploring us to respond to its request through a third country.

But we don't think there is need to respond to the U.S. delaying-time trick again.

We have already declared our stand that no DPRK-U.S. contact and dialogue of any kind can be possible unless the U.S. rolls back its hostile policy towards the DPRK. Therefore, we will disregard such an attempt of the U.S. in the future, too.

In order for a dialogue to be made, an atmosphere for both parties to exchange words on an equal basis must be created.

But what has been heard from the U.S. since the emergence of the new regime is only lunatic theory of "threat from north Korea" and groundless rhetoric about "complete denuclearization".

The White House, the Department of State, the Department of Treasury, the Department of Justice, etc. reeled off a spate of rhetoric that the U.S. still has great concern for deterring north Korea and it is now examining what kind of means are to be used which include additional sanctions and diplomatic incentives. They have maintained high-handed posture, convening an international conference against us, making public "joint alert" and bringing an indictment against us.

The U.S. military keeps stealthily putting military threat to us and is committing spying acts against us with the involvement of lots of reconnaissance assets. It also openly started aggression-minded joint military exercises targeting us, defying concern and opposition by the public at home and abroad.

It seems the U.S. has not yet dropped the habit of doggedly faulting the DPRK.

Even in reference to the national anti-epidemic measures taken by us, it made such thoughtless words that they hinder "humanitarian aids".

The U.S. State secretary during his visit to Japan spoke loudly of various pressurizing means and some stubborn means, claiming they are all now under reexamination, only to seriously rattle us. We are curious what senseless rhetoric he would make in south Korea to take the world by surprise.

If the U.S. wants so much to sit even once with us face to face, it has to drop its bad habit and adopt a proper stand from the beginning.

We will keep tabs on all the ill deeds the new regime in the U.S. is engrossed in.

It had better drop the cheap trick by which it tries to use the DPRK-U.S. contact as a means for gaining time and building up the public opinion.

It will only be a waste of time to sit with the U.S. as it is not ready to feel and accept new change and new times.

We make it clear that we won't give it such opportunities as in Singapore and Hanoi again.

We will readily react to the sanctions leverage which the U.S. is so much fond of.

It had better contemplate what we can do in the face of its continued hostile policy toward us.

We already clarified that we will counter the U.S. on the principle of power for power and goodwill for goodwill. -0-