US Hopes N.Korea Talks Go Ahead Despite Pyongyang Threat

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 17th Jul, 2019 ) :The United States said Tuesday it hoped to hold denuclearization talks with North Korea, despite a warning from Pyongyang that US-South Korean military exercises could affect their planned resumption.

The North had earlier Tuesday hinted that it could even reconsider its moratorium on nuclear testing over next month's drills, which have been held for years but were scaled down to facilitate dialogue with Pyongyang.

It was the first statement from the North on the talks since US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un agreed to a resumption of dialogue at an impromptu meeting in the Demilitarized Zone in June, following months of deadlock.

Responding to the North's statement, the State Department said it remained upbeat over commitments made by Kim and Trump at a February summit in Vietnam and then during Trump's dramatic walk into North Korea on June 30.

"From our perspective, we would hope that no one would try to block, in their government or our government, the ability for President Trump and Chairman Kim to make progress on the commitments they made to each other in Vietnam," State Department spokeswoman Morgan Ortagus told reporters.