海角大神

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un expressed willingness to restore stalled communication lines with South Korea in coming days while shrugging off U.S. offers for dialogue as 鈥渃unning ways鈥� to conceal its hostility against the North, state media reported Thursday.

Mr. Kim鈥檚 statement is an apparent effort to drive a wedge between Seoul and Washington as he wants South Korea to help him win relief from crippling U.S.-led economic sanctions and other concessions. Pyongyang this month has offered conditional talks with Seoul alongside its first missile firings in six months and stepped-up criticism of the United States.

The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting on Thursday at the request of the United States, the U.K., and France on North Korea鈥檚 recent tests.

During a speech at his country鈥檚 rubber-stamp parliament on Wednesday, Mr. Kim said the restoration in early October of cross-border hotlines 鈥� which have been largely dormant for more than a year 鈥� would realize the Korean people鈥檚 wishes for a peace between the two Koreas, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

Mr. Kim still accused South Korea of being 鈥渂ent on begging external support and cooperation while clamoring for international cooperation in servitude to the U.S.,鈥� rather than committing to resolving the matters independently between the Koreas.

Mr. Kim echoed his powerful sister Kim Yo Jong鈥檚 calls for Seoul to abandon 鈥渄ouble-dealing attitude鈥� and 鈥渉ostile viewpoint鈥� over the North鈥檚 missile tests and other developments. Some experts say North Korea is pressuring South Korea to tone down its criticism of its ballistic missile tests, which are banned by U.N. Security Council resolutions, as part of its quest to receive an international recognition as a nuclear power.

South Korea鈥檚 Unification Ministry responded that it鈥檒l prepare for the restoration of the hotlines that it said is needed to discuss and resolve many pending issues. It said it expects them to operate smoothly because their restoration was directly instructed by Kim Jong Un.

On the United States, Kim Jong Un dismissed repeated U.S. offers to resume talks without preconditions, calling them an attempt to hide America鈥檚 鈥渉ostile policy鈥� and 鈥渕ilitary threats鈥� that he said remain unchanged.

The Biden administration 鈥渋s touting 鈥榙iplomatic engagement鈥� and 鈥榙ialogue without preconditions鈥� but it is no more than a petty trick for deceiving the international community and hiding its hostile acts,鈥� Mr. Kim said.

He added: 鈥淭he U.S. remains utterly unchanged in posing military threats and pursuing hostile policy toward [North Korea] but employs more cunning ways and methods in doing so.鈥�

He has warned he would bolster his nuclear arsenal and stay away from negotiations with Washington unless it drops its 鈥渉ostile policy,鈥� a term used to describe the U.S.-led sanctions and regular military drills between Washington and Seoul.

U.S. officials have repeatedly expressed hope to sit down for talks with North Korea 鈥渁nywhere and at any time,鈥� but have maintained they will continue sanctions until the North takes concrete steps toward denuclearization. The diplomacy has been stalled for 2 陆 years due to disagreements over easing of sanctions in return for limited denuclearization steps.

China, North Korea鈥檚 last major ally, said Thursday it hopes the hotlines restoration would help improve ties between the two Koreas.

But it also urged the U.S. to roll back some of the sanctions targeting the North鈥檚 civilian economy.

鈥淭he U.S. should avoid repeating empty slogans, but rather show its sincerity by presenting an appealing plan,鈥� Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said. 鈥淚t should invoke the rollback terms of the Security Council鈥檚 [North Korea]-related resolutions as soon as possible and make necessary adjustments to relevant sanctions.鈥�

President Joe Biden told the U.N. General Assembly last week that his administration would seek 鈥渟erious and sustained diplomacy鈥� to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

North Korea鈥檚 outreach to Seoul came after South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who seeks progress in his appeasement policy on North Korea before he leaves office next May, proposed a symbolic peace declaration during his U.N. speech last week.

鈥淜im Jong Un will likely continue to use South Korea to move the Biden administration in its favor,鈥� Kwak Gil Sup, head of One Korea Center, a website specializing in North Korea affairs, wrote on Facebook. 鈥淗e鈥檒l make more outright attempts to wedge South Korea and the U.S. apart. It鈥檚 a highly sophisticated strategy to make the best use of the impatience of the [Moon] government preoccupied with producing progress in its peace process on the Korean Peninsula in its final months in office.鈥�

Meanwhile, Mr. Kim鈥檚 sister was elected as a member of the State Affairs Commission led by her brother during this week鈥檚 Supreme People鈥檚 Assembly session, KCNA reported. The appointment of Kim Yo Jong, who already is a senior ruling party official who handles Pyongyang鈥檚 relations with Seoul, is another sign Mr. Kim is solidifying his family鈥檚 rule in the face of mounting economic difficulties caused by the pandemic and the sanctions.

This story was reported by The Associated Press. AP journalists Edith M. Lederer at the United Nations and Liu Zheng in Beijing contributed to this report.