Kim Jong Un says the U.S. negotiated in bad faith

“Everything is at the risk of going back to square one because the U.S. acted in bad faith,” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said during a North Korea-Russia summit, according to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Monday. It can be seen as a warning that the situation could return to hostility if the U.S. keeps demanding a “big deal” on North Korea’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, one day before the first anniversary of the Panmunjom Declaration, North Korean news media accused the South Korean government of hesitating to implement the declaration.

After wrapping up his two-day visit to Russia, Kim Jong Un boarded a special train heading for North Korea at 3 p.m. (local time). He spent 45 hours in Vladivostok, focusing much of the time on denouncing the U.S. and South Korea and working out ways to cooperate with Russia on denuclearization.

The KCNA reported that North Korean leader Kim told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the peace and security on the Korean Peninsula depends on the attitude of the U.S.

Kim Jong Un went on to say that the political situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula is at an impasse and the state of hostility could return due to the unilateral action and the bad faith of the U.S. The North Korean leader also added that he will be prepared against all circumstances, warning of further action if the U.S. keeps applying maximum pressure against North Korea. But he did not mention anything about “six-party talks” or “guarantee of security” President Putin mentioned during the press conference a day earlier.

It was reported that Kim Jong Un went back to Pyongyang after completing only half of the planned schedule. Russia’s Interfax news agency reported that Kim was scheduled to leave at 10 p.m. after completing four planned schedules but left earlier for “unknown reasons.” Before heading back to his country, Kim offered flowers to the monument of fallen heroes near the Pacific Fleet headquarters and had a luncheon at a fancy restaurant his father had visited in 2002.


In-Chan Hwang hic@donga.com · Gi-Jae Han record@donga.com