North Korea's Kim Jong-un calls for 'offensive' measures as nuclear deadline looms
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Version 0 of 1. Dictator’s comments come ahead of a year-end deadline for US to soften stance on missile programme North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has called for “positive and offensive measures” to ensure security at a ruling party meeting ahead of a year-end deadline he has set for denuclearisation talks with the United States, state media said on Monday. Kim convened a weekend meeting of party officials to pore over important policy matters amid rising tension over his deadline for Washington to soften its stance in stalled negotiations aimed at dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes. Kim suggested action on foreign affairs, the munitions industry and armed forces, stressing the need to take “positive and offensive measures for fully ensuring the sovereignty and security of the country”, KCNA new agency said, without elaborating. Kim discussed state management and economic issues, including measures to improve agriculture, science, education, public health and the environment, it said, as the country’s economy has been hit by international sanctions over its weapons programmes. He “presented the tasks for urgently correcting the grave situation of the major industrial sectors of the national economy”, the agency said, adding that the meeting was still under way. North Korea has urged Washington to offer a new approach to resume negotiations, warning that it may take an unspecified “new path” if the United States fails to meet its expectations. US military commanders said the move could include the testing of a long-range missile, which North Korea has suspended since 2017, along with nuclear warhead tests. Washington would be “extraordinarily disappointed” if North Korea tests a long-range or nuclear missile, White House national security adviser Robert O’Brien said on Sunday, vowing to take appropriate action as a leading military and economic power. Asked by ABC television about possible consequences of such a test, White House O’Brien said he did not want to speculate. “But we have a lot of tools in our toolkit, and additional pressure can be brought to bear on the North Koreans,” he said. The United States had opened channels of communication with North Korea and hoped Kim would follow through on his denuclearisation commitments he made at summits with president Donald Trump, O’Brien said. |