North Korean official Kim Yong-chol warned the US would be wrong to ignore the year-end deadline for the "close relationship" of the leaders of the two countries.

North Korea's state news agency KCNA today quoted a statement by senior official Kim Yong-chol saying that no progress in US-North Korea relations over the past time and hostility could lead to tensions. continue. Kim Yong-chol was the envoy for nuclear talks with the US ahead of the second summit between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in Hanoi in late February.

Kim Jong-un has set a year-end deadline for denuclearization talks with Washington. According to Kim Yong-chol, the United States will make a mistake by ignoring this deadline.

North Korean officials say the US is pressuring North Korea in a "crafty and wicked" way instead of following Pyongyang's call for Washington to adopt a new approach. He also accused the United States of urging other countries to impose sanctions on North Korea, but stressed that he hoped US-North Korea relations would not go down the path of "only permanent enemies, no permanent friends. ".

The announcement came a few days after North Korea asked South Korea to discuss the removal of Seoul facilities from the Kumgang mountain resort, an important symbol of cooperation between the two countries that Pyongyang recently pointed out. cited as "capitalist" and "shabby".

North Korea has sent a notice to the Unification Ministry of Korea, Hyundai Group, Hyundai Asan Corp's affiliate company that has built resort facilities, to request dismantlement and seek discussion through document exchanges. .