North Korea Rejects Resuming Talks with Washington, Labels It Hostile

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of the North Korean leader, stated that Pyongyang is not very interested in resuming talks with Washington, emphasizing that North Korea "does not need to sit face-to-face with people who are so untrustworthy and hostile." Her remarks came at a time when the chances of holding a meeting this month with U.S. President Donald Trump, who has made several attempts to engage with her brother Kim Jong Un, appeared slim. These statements followed the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation attributing responsibility to North Korea for stealing over $6 billion from the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, Binance, accusations that Kim Yo Jong previously condemned as a "serious political provocation." The Korean Central News Agency quoted Kim Yo Jong as saying, "Our position is clear, we do not need to sit face-to-face with people who are so untrustworthy and hostile, refusing to abandon confrontation policies while talking about dialogue." She added, "The option of peace naturally includes dialogue, but that does not necessarily align with our national interests." Kim Yo Jong accused Washington of pursuing a "consistent hostile policy" toward Pyongyang, citing the Binance case accusations, joint U.S.-South Korea military drills, and American demands for North Korea's denuclearization. The FBI announced on Saturday that a hacking group linked to North Korea called "TraderTraitor" was behind the Binance breach. North Korea, however, denied on Tuesday the FBI's allegations of responsibility for the $6.3 billion cyberattack on the cryptocurrency platform, affirming its opposition to cyberattacks.