유엔서 미국 핵위협 탓하던 북한... 올해는 '신뢰형성' 강조<br /> North Korea's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho presented a much toned-down speech this year at the UN General Assembly compared to his speech last year when he blamed the U.S. for Pyeongyang's nuclear development.<br />This year, he stressed that the two countries need to build trust in order for the recent denuclearization and peace efforts to be successful.<br />Oh Jung-hee tells us more. <br />'Trust' was the key word for North Korea at this year's UN General Assembly.<br /><br /> "North Korea's commitment to thoroughly implement the North Korea-U.S. joint statement is unwavering. The primary task for effectively implementing the statement is bringing down the barrier of decades-long mistrust between the two countries."<br /><br /> Pyeongyang's foreign minister Ri Yong-ho highlighted that North Korea has taken several goodwill measures to build trust with the U.S. -- like halting nuclear and missile tests... and dismantling its nuclear test site -- but has not been able to see anything in return.<br />He said... Washington is rather upping the pressure through sanctions, which only deepens bilateral mistrust.<br /> While North Korea has a firm will to denuclearize,... Ri said... that can only happen when Pyeongyang can trust Washington.<br />In other words, North Korea won't unilaterally denuclearize without an assurance on its regime security.<br /><br />Though the message presses Washington to take action, it differs greatly from Ri Yong-ho's own speech at the same venue last year,... where he threatened real strikes against the U.S.<br /> There, he sought to justify North Korea's nuclear development, citing the U.S. threat shown through military drills with South Korea and President Trump's aggressive rhetoric like "fire and fury."<br />Ri also lashed out at Trump,... calling him a "mentally deranged person."<br /><br /> This year, there was no mention of Trump.<br />Ri instead chose to criticize hardliners in the U.S. for hindering negotiations,... which is seen as a move to keep the friendly atmosphere between the two leaders going.<br /><br /> Ri's speech showed Pyeongyang wants to continue its dialogue with the U.S.<br />But at the same time, it hinted... North Korea could pass the blame onto Washington if negotiations end in failure.<br />Oh Jung-hee, Arirang News. <br />
