North Korea urges South to stop its mediation efforts

SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Thursday that South Korea must stop trying to mediate between Pyongyang and Washington, as it stepped up its pressure on the United States to work out new proposals to salvage deadlocked nuclear diplomacy.

The North Korean statement was an apparent continuation of its displeasure with Seoul and Washington over the stalled diplomacy. But there are no signs that North Korea would formally abandon talks anytime soon as an inter-korean liaison office in North Korean remains operating and the North still talks about good relations between its leader Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump.

Kwon Jong Gun, chief of the North Korean Foreign Ministry’s U.S. affairs department, said it will “never go through” South Korea again when it deals with the United States. He also dismissed as false the comments by Moon and other South Korean officials that there are various exchanges and unofficial talks between the two Koreas. “It’s better for the South Korean authorities to mind their own business at home,” Kwon said.

He still said North Korea-u.s. relations are proceeding based on the “friendly relations” between Kim and Trump.

The North’s Foreign Ministry said Wednesday it won’t surrender to U.s.-led sanctions and accused Washington of trying to “bring us to our knees.” U.S. officials have said the sanctions would stay in place unless North Korea takes significant steps toward nuclear disarmament.