17.03.2019
By Gim Sejeong
After the breakdown of talks in Hanoi and amidst strident discussion between both sides, the Blue House [Korea’s Presidential residence] released a statement reporting that neither North Korea nor the US wished to return to the past. An official at the Blue House advised that “at this time, dialogue between the two Koreas would not be appropriate.”
A high-ranking official at the Blue House today said during a meeting with journalists that “neither the US nor North Korea wish to ever return to the pre-2017 situation of conflict and confrontation. Both North Korea and the US have travelled a long way from the past, and actually going backwards would be difficult. The Hanoi negotiations laid a foundation for adopting an agreement, and both sides are clearly intending to come to a diplomatic understanding,” the official emphasised. However, the official did say that Vice-minister Choi’s completely omitted any mention of the beginning of an agreement.”
The official also said “the US, including President Donald Trump, continues to emphasise a need to resume negotiations. including President Donald Trump, and Steven Vegan, the special envoy to North Korea, even wrote that ‘diplomacy is alive.’”