North Korea's leader promises 'new strategic weapon,' leaves room for talks
(VOVWORLD) -North Korea’s leader plans to further develop nuclear programs and to introduce a “new strategic weapon” in the near future, state media said on Wednesday, although he signaled there was still room for dialogue with the United States.
 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attends a meeting of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) on December 31, 2019. (Photo: REUTERS) |
Kim Jong Un presided over a four-day meeting of top Workers’ Party officials this week amid rising tensions with the United States, which has not responded to his repeated calls for concessions to reopen negotiations. Washington has dismissed the deadline as artificial.
Kim said there were no grounds for North Korea to be bound any longer by a self-declared moratorium on testing nuclear bombs and intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM).
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said it would be “deeply disappointing” if Kim reneges on denuclearization commitments and Kim would hopefully “choose peace and prosperity over conflict and war.”
Tension had been rising ahead of the year-end as North Korea conducted a series of weapons tests.