Talks are rejected as U.S. envoy arrives in Seoul

SEOUL — North Korea on Tuesday said it has no immediate intent to resume a dialogue with the United States as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun arrived in South Korea for discussions on stalled nuclear diplomacy.

In a statement released through the North’s official Korean Central News Agency, senior North Korean foreign ministry official Kwon Jong Gun also ridiculed “nonsensical” calls by South Korea for revived negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea, saying it has lost its relevance as a mediator.

The State Department said Biegun, who is also President Trump’s special representative for North Korea, will discuss cooperation on a range of issues in meetings this week with officials in South Korea and Japan, including the “final, fully verified denuclearization” of North Korea.

Kwon’s statement came hours before Biegun arrived at a U.S. air base near Seoul. The U.S. Embassy said Biegun, members of his delegation and the military air crew were being tested for COVID19 at the base and would proceed to Seoul after confirmation that all had negative test results.

Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un have met three times since embarking on highstakes nuclear diplomacy in 2018. But negotiations have faltered since their second summit in February last year in Vietnam, where the Americans rejected North Korean demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capability.

North Korea has repeatedly said in recent months that it would no longer give Trump the gift of highprofile meetings he could boast of as foreign policy achievements unless it gets something substantial in return.

North Korea has also been dialing up pressure on the South, cutting off virtually all cooperation and blowing up an interKorean liaison office in its territory last month, following months of frustration over Seoul’s unwillingness to defy U.S.led sanctions.

Some analysts believe North Korea will avoid serious talks with the Americans for now and instead focus on pressuring the South in a bid to increase its bargaining power before an eventual return to negotiations after the U.S. presidential election. They say North Korea likely doesn’t want to make any major commitments or concessions when there is a chance U.S. leadership could change.