North Korea ignores US offer for talks, citing its hostile policy

US-led diplomacy on North Korea's nuclear programme remains stalemated for about two years because of disputes over US-led sanctions on the North.

North Korea said Thursday it will ignore a US offer for talks unless it withdraws its hostile policy on the North, days after Washington said it reached out to Pyongyang through various channels. The statement by Choe Son Hui, the first foreign minister, came hours before the top diplomats and defense chiefs of the United States and South Korea meet in Seoul in their first joint talks in five years to discuss North Korea's nuclear programme. “We don't think there is need to respond to the US delaying-time trick again,” Choe said in a statement carried by state media. “We have already declared our stand that no (North Korea)-US contact and dialogue of any kind can be possible unless the US rolls back its hostile policy toward (North Korea). Therefore, we will disregard such an attempt of the US in the future, too.”