Dashing expectations for a meeting between the top diplomats of North Korea and the U.S.,... the regime's foreign minister is unlikely to attend this year's UN General Assembly, which will be held in New York later this month.
As a resumption of denuclearization talks between the two countries looks difficult,... all eyes are on the Chinese foreign minister's message to the regime,... as he is scheduled to be in Pyeongyang from Monday to Wednesday.
Kim Hyo-sun reports.
North Korea's top diplomat is likely to skip the UN General Assembly in New York this September,... casting doubt over the possible resumption of high-level talks between Pyeongyang and Washington.
Although there is still room for working-level talks between the two countries,... Washington's plan to engage in talks about three months since the surprise Panmunjeom encounter has been put at risk.
The U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Steven Biegun, who was in Seoul two weeks ago,... has called on the regime to come to the negotiating table.
Shortly after that message, the North's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho slammed his American
counterpart as "the diehard toxin of U.S. diplomacy,"... while the regime's First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui also criticized U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
Choe warned that the expectations for dialogue with Washington are gradually disappearing.
Against this backdrop, the regime is maintaining close ties with China and Russia.
Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi will visit Pyeongyang from Monday to Wednesday,... to sit down with his North Korean counterpart.
It's yet to be seen what message he will bring to the North,... especially as Beijing firmly believes Pyeongyang and Washington should resolve the denuclearization issue through dialogue,... despite China's ongoing trade war with the U.S.
Kim Hyo-sun, Arirang News.