Top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Kim Jong Un (L) meets with U.S. President Donald Trump in Singapore, on June 12, 2018. (Xinhua/The Straits Times)
White House national security adviser John Bolton on Tuesday said the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) has not taken the steps necessary to denuclearize despite an agreement made between DPRK's leader Kim Jong Un and U.S. President Donald Trump in June.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also expressed concerns of DPRK's "slow" progress towards denuclearization, while speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meeting in Singapore last weekend.
But the DPRK side sees quite another story.
The country's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho accused the U.S. of maintaining the sanctions against the DPRK, warning it will not start denuclearizing unless Washington takes reciprocal actions.
"The DPRK stands firm in its determination and commitment for implementing the DPRK-U.S. Joint Statement in a responsible and good-faith manner,” Ri said on the sidelines of the ASEAN meeting in Singapore.
"What is alarming, however, is the insistent moves manifested within the U.S. to go back to the old, far from its leader's intention."
The minister also denounced that the U.S. has failed to respond to measures taken by Pyongyang toward fulfilling its denuclearization commitment, adding that simultaneous actions and phased steps should be made by both sides.
On this issue, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi stressed that China has always believed that denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula should keep pace with establishing a peace mechanism on the Peninsula.
He made the remarks while meeting his DPRK counterpart Ri Yong Ho in Singapore.
"We certainly hope that the current DPRK-U.S. talks will continue to move toward a peaceful outcome. China will continue to play a positive role in this regard. We also hope the U.S. will respond to legitimate requests from the DPRK," Wang added.
