North Korea to build ‘more reliable' force against US, says Donald Trump's diplomacy failed

File photo

Seoul: Kim Jong-un-led North Korea has warned that it will build up a "more reliable" force against military threats from the United States since there has been no improvement in ties between Pyongyang and Washington in the past two years.

North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon said that his country was abandoning attempts to pursue a diplomatic relationship with the White House because two years after the historic summit between Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump led to no improvement in ties between the two countries.

Ri Son-gwon said that two years after the historic handshake between President Trump and Kim "even a slim ray of optimism" for peace and prosperity on the Korean peninsula had "faded away into a dark nightmare."

The North Korean Foreign Minister added that Pyongyang would "never again" provide the US with "another package" that Trump could use to boast as his political achievements.

"The secure strategic goal of North Korea is to build up more reliable force to cope with the long-term military threats from the US. This is our reply message to the US on the occasion of second anniversary of June 12," Ri said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

"What stands out is that the hope for improved relations has now been shifted into despair," he added.

Ri also expressed frustration over a stalemate since the Singapore summit, accusing Washington of just focusing on talking up "political achievements" without taking any actual steps to fulfil agreements.

"The question is whether there will be a need to keep holding hands shaken in Singapore, as we see that there is nothing of factual improvement to be made in the relations simply by maintaining personal relations between our Supreme Leadership and the US President," he said.

The comments from Ri came hours after the US said that it is committed to implementing the Singapore summit agreement and is willing to take a flexible approach.

"The US is committed to engaging North Korea in meaningful negotiations so that North Koreans can realize a brighter future," a State Department spokesperson said in response to a request for comment on the second anniversary of the 2018 summit between Trump and Kim.

Trump and the North`s leader met in Singapore on June 12, 2018, to negotiate the dismantlement of North Korea`s nuclear weapons program in exchange for sanctions relief and other concessions.

The two sides also agreed to work together to improve bilateral relations, build a lasting and stable peace regime on the peninsula, and repatriate the remains of American service members killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Trump and Kim held their second summit in February last year but failed to produce an agreement.