North Korea warns of nuclear clash, calls US Vice President a “political puppet”

Ms. Choe Son Hui - Vice Foreign Minister of North Korea. Photo WSJ

Choe Son Hui - Vice Foreign Minister of North Korea affirmed that if the US continues on its current path, she will propose that the North Korean leadership reconsider the planned summit between President Donald Trump and leader Kim Jong-un.

“Whether the US will meet us in the meeting room or clash with us in a nuclear confrontation depends entirely on the decision and attitude of the US side,” Choe said in comments carried by the Korean Central News Agency on May 24.

This was Choe's response to Mr. Pence's comments in an interview with Fox News that she was seen as "out of control and brazen."

Pence was asked about recent statements by US National Security Adviser John Bolton, who asserted that the US would look to negotiations with Libya in the early 2000s when dealing with North Korea.

“There has been some talk of the Libya model,” Pence told Fox News. “As President Trump has made clear, this will only end like the Libya model if Kim Jong-un doesn’t make a deal.”

When a reporter suggested that some might see Bolton's comments as a threat, Pence said: "I think it's more like reality."

North Korea has long cited Libya as the reason it needs nuclear weapons. Less than a decade after Moammar Gadhafi agreed to abandon his country’s nuclear ambitions in a deal with the United States, he was overthrown and killed with the help of NATO-backed forces.

"Political scarecrow"

US Vice President Mike Pence. Photo: Washington Examiner

Ms Choe called Mr Pence a “political puppet” for comparing Libya to North Korea, saying Libya’s nuclear program was in its early stages when it came to the negotiating table, while North Korea had spent years developing nuclear weapons.

“As someone involved in US affairs, I cannot contain my surprise when such ignorant and stupid comments come out of the mouth of the US Vice President,” she said.

Mr Trump and Mr Kim are scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12, the first meeting between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader, but North Koreans have expressed displeasure at recent US comments and joint military exercises between Washington and Seoul.

Independent North Korea analysts believe Ms Choe, a diplomat who focuses on US-North Korea relations, is a rising star at the State Department. She was reportedly promoted to vice minister earlier this year.