WASHINGTON D.C.: The United States said Tuesday it hoped to hold denuclearization talks with North Korea after Pyongyang warned that US-South Korean military exercises could affect their planned resumption. Their annual drills with tens of thousands of South Korean soldiers have always infuriated the North — with Pyongyang condemning the maneuvers as rehearsals for invasion. ‘Not a legal document’On Tuesday, an unnamed North Korean foreign ministry spokesperson described the drills as “clearly a breach” of a joint statement signed by the leaders in Singapore and suggested Pyongyang may resume weapons tests in response. “If the military exercise really goes ahead, it would affect the DPRK-US working-level talks,” the official said in comments carried by state news agency KCNA, using North Korea’s official initials. Tensions were raised in May, during the standstill in negotiations between Trump and Kim, when North Korea fired short-range missiles for the first time since November 2017.

Source: Pakistan Today July 17, 2019 04:30 UTC