North Korean foreign minister Ri Yong Ho called an impromptu press conference at midnight in Hanoi following the disappointing end to the highly anticipated summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump on February 28.
The press conference called by North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho in Hanoi following the February 27-28 summit that failed to reach a result. — VNA/VNS Photo Lâm Khánh
Ri said during the two-day summit, the two countries’ leaders had held serious discussions.
The North Korean foreign minister said the DPRK had offered “realistic proposals” but the US wanted more, and the two sides couldn’t reconcile their differences leading to what the US President called a “walk away” earlier in his press conference in Hà Nội.
North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho (right) at the press conference. Photo by Reuters
He emphasised that the North Koreans did not seek a complete removal of all sanctions, but only partial relief.
The diplomat said it was the biggest measure it could take at present given “the current level of confidence between the DPRK and the US.”
During the meeting, the North Koreans pledged a complete halt of nuclear and missile testing, including rocket launches, to ease the concerns of the US, according to Ri.
Ri said that if the two sides could go through this “level of trust-building regime”, then “we would be able to accelerate the process of denuclearisation”.
However, he said the US side was insistent on North Korea moving “one more step” besides the shutting down of the Yongbyon plant, the country’s main nuclear facility.
“It became crystal clear that the US was not ready to go through with this proposal,” the North Korean top diplomat said.
The North Korean official said it would be difficult to come up with a better proposal than the one his country was putting on the table.
“Our principle stands and remains invariable and our proposal will never change in the future even if the US wants further talks,” he said.
The North Korean foreign minister did not take questions from the press afterwards.
In a press conference held at 2pm the same day, US President Donald Trump also said that the US walked away from discussions over disagreement on sanctions.
US President Donald Trump speaks at a press conference after the North Korea-US Summit in Hanoi on February 28. Photo by Reuters
But Trump explained that North Korea wanted sanctions lifted in their entirety and the US weren’t willing to do that.
The US leader said he was very keen to lift sanctions on North Korea because he believed in the potential of North Korea.
"Kim is willing to dismantle the Yongbyon facility, but wanted all sanctions lifted first, I wasn’t willing to do," Trump said.
