North Korea says Pompeo's remarks make talks with US more difficult

Pompeo's language 'unreasonable and provocative', North Korean minister says

FILE - In this Aug. 20, 2019, file photo, United States Secretary of State Michael Pompeo holds a press visit during their visit to attend the United Nations Security Council on the Mideast, at U.N. headquarters. North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui in a statement released through state media on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019 said Pompeo's "excessive" comments increased North Korean people's animosity toward Americans and made it harder for working-level nuclear negotiations between the countries to resume. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews, File)
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A recent remark by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about "North Korea's rogue behaviour" will make talks with the United States more difficult, the North's KCNA news agency on Saturday quoted its vice foreign minister, Choe Son Hui, as saying.

"We recognised that North Korea's rogue behaviour could not be ignored," Mr Pompeo said on Tuesday, while speaking at the American Legion National Convention in the state of Indiana.

Mr Pompeo's comment was unreasonable and provocative, Ms Choe said, according to the news agency.

"Pompeo has gone so far in his language and it made the opening of the expected DPRK-US working-level negotiations more difficult," Ms Choe said in statement."

Ms Choe also said North Korea's expectations of talks with the United States are gradually disappearing and the country is being pushed to re-examine all measures.

"The US had better not put our patience to the test any longer with such remarks irritating us if it doesn't want to have bitter regrets afterwards," Ms Choe said.

North Korea has stepped up its criticism of Mr Pompeo lately, calling him a "diehard toxin", and casting doubt on attempts to restart talks

In Washington, a State Department official indicated on Saturday that the US remained interested in pursuing talks.

"As we have indicated, we are prepared to engage in negotiations as soon as we hear from our counterparts in North Korea," said the official, who asked not to be named.

Negotiations aimed at dismantling the North's nuclear and missile programmes have stalled since a failed second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in February.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim met again in June at the inter-Korean border and agreed to reopen working-level negotiations, but that has not happened.

Since the Vietnam summit, North Korea has demanded that Pompeo be replaced with a "more mature" person, while lauding the rapport built between Mr Kim and Mr Trump.

North Korea has fired a series of short-range missiles in recent weeks in protest against US-South Korea joint military exercises and the adoption of new weapons, complicating the reopening of the talks.