North Korea berated the U.S. Thursday for denouncing its ballistic missile tests at a United Nations Security Council meeting.
 
U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft said at the meeting Wednesday that Pyongyang’s missile tests were “deeply counterproductive” and threatened talks to get North Korea to abandon its missile and nuclear programs.
 
A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman said the ambassador’s comments were reckless.
 
“U.S. did a foolish thing which will boomerang on it, and decisively helped us make a definite decision on what way to choose,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the state news agency KCNA.

The spokesperson did not offer specifics, but the spokesperson said the U.S. comments helped Pyongyang make a “definite decision” about how it will approach North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s year-end deadline for the U.S. to offer mutually acceptable terms to revive the talks.
 
Negotiations stalled last February after the U.S. rejected North Korea’s demands for sanctions relief in exchange for Pyongyang’s partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.
 
North Korea has conducted multiple ballistic missile and rocket artillery tests since May and has suggested it would lift a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests if the U.S. fails to make significant concessions before the new year.
 
The U.S. has pushed for a resumption of talks but North Korea said it will not continue to reward U.S. President Donald Trump with meetings he can use as foreign policy successes.

Source: VOA

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