The chances of more U.S., North Korea talks appear to be dwindling

North Korea is not thrilled with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo at the moment.

North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui said Saturday that the country's expectations for restarting talks with the Trump administration were "gradually disappearing" after she criticized Pompeo for describing North Korean behavior as "rogue" during a Tuesday speech in Indiana. Choe called the comments "thoughtless" remarks that increased North Korea's animosity toward the U.S. "The U.S. had better not put any longer our patience to the test with such remarks irritating us if it doesn't want to have bitter regrets afterward," Choe said.

Last week, North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho also had some choice words for Pompeo in response to Pompeo's announcement that Washington would maintain strong sanctions until Pyongyang denuclearized. The minister called Pompeo a "die hard toxin of the U.S. diplomacy."

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Earlier in August, President Trump said he had received a letter from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un promising to resume talks once joint U.S.-South Korean military drills ended. The training exercises have come and gone, but North Korea has yet to show any signs of wanting to re-engage with Trump and seemingly remains unhappy with the U.S.