SEOUL: North Korea does "not feel any need" to resume talks with Washington, a senior diplomat for the country said Saturday, days after Seoul called for a summit as it seeks improved ties with Pyongyang.
The statement by the North's vice foreign minister Choe Son Hui came after former US national security advisor John Bolton on Thursday reportedly said President Donald Trump might pursue another meeting with leader Kim Jong Un in October.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in - who has long backed engagement with the North - on Tuesday also called for another meeting between Kim and Trump, saying the South would be making "utmost efforts" to make it happen.
But Pyongyang does "not feel any need to sit face to face with the US", Choe said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.
"Dreamers" had been raising hopes of an "October surprise", she added.
"The US is mistaken if it thinks things like negotiations would still work on us," Choe said. Washington "does not consider the DPRK-US dialogue as nothing more than a tool for grappling (with) its political crisis", Choe added, using the North's official name.
Bolton had reportedly said Trump would meet with Kim if it would help his re-election chances. The North has "already worked out a detailed strategic timetable" to deal with the "long-term threat" from Washington, Choe said.
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