North Korea has again reminded the United States of a year-end deadline it set for Washington to come up with a proposal to move stalled nuclear talks forward.
The North's Korean Central News Agency said today the deadline is drawing near and it is up to Washington to choose which "Christmas gift" it will receive.
The state media quoted Vice Minister of U.S. Affairs Ri Thae-song as saying that the U.S. is talking about dialogue aimed only at earning time without taking any corresponding measures to Pyongyang's preemptive moves.
The vice minister added that Pyongyang has done its best not to backtrack from the initiatives it has taken, holding Washington responsible for the current deadlock in nuclear negotiations.
Since the breakdown of working-level talks between the North and the U.S. in October, Pyongyang has been increasing its pressure on Washington with a series of missile launches.■
<Photo: Yonhap News>
