DPRK strongly reacts to Pence's remarks comparing it with Libya

AFP

The Democratic People's Republic of Korea on Thursday reacted strongly to the remarks by US Vice President Mike Pence that DPRK might end like Libya, warning it would reconsider whether to attend a scheduled summit with US president next month.

Choe Son Hui, the DPRK's vice foreign minister, said she would put forward a suggestion to DPRK top leader Kim Jong Un for reconsidering the DPRK-US summit scheduled for June 12 if the United States continues with hostile remarks and actions, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

"In case the US offends against our goodwill and clings to unlawful and outrageous acts, I will put forward a suggestion to our supreme leadership for reconsidering the DPRK-US summit," she said.

This is the second time within days for Pyongyang to warn Washington that it might cancel the summit scheduled to take place in Singapore next month because of provocative anti-DPRK remarks by top US officials.

DPRK last week expressed anger at remarks by US National Security Advisor John Bolton that United States would use the "Libya model" to denuclearize the country.

"Whether the US will meet us at a meeting room or encounter us at nuclear-to-nuclear showdown is entirely dependent upon the decision and behavior of the United States," said the vice minister who is in charge of holding dialogue with the United States.

Calling the remarks of Pence "ignorant and stupid," she said that Pence should seriously consider the "terrible consequences of his words" before making such remarks.

"We could surmise more than enough what a political dummy he is as he is trying to compare the DPRK, a nuclear weapon state, to Libya that has simply installed a few items of equipment and fiddled around with them," she said.

The vice minister also renewed previous warnings that the DPRK is capable of defending itself with its nuclear and missile strength.

"To borrow their words, we can also make the US taste an appalling tragedy it has neither experienced nor even imagined up to now," said Choe in rare tough words used after the DPRK and the United States started dialogue a few months ago.

She said the DPRK developed its nuclear and missile capabilities only not to repeat such tragedy as has occurred in Libya.

"In order not to follow in Libya's footsteps, we paid a heavy price to build up our powerful and reliable strength that can defend ourselves and safeguard peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and the region," she said.

The official also expressed doubt about the ulterior motive behind the US move to ask for dialogue with the DPRK and "what the US has calculated to gain from that."

"It is the US who has asked for dialogue, but now it is misleading the public opinion as if we have invited them to sit with us," she said.

"We will neither beg the US for dialogue nor take the trouble to persuade them if they do not want to sit together with us," she added.