North brushes aside Trump comments, but hints willingness to talk if U.S. changes course

North Korea on Tuesday dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump's claims of a personal relationship with its leader Kim Jong-un as a mere "lingering desire."

North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un, left, and former U.S. President Donald Trump smile during a meeting on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides South and North Korea on June 30, 2019. [YONHAP]

North Korea on Tuesday dismissed former U.S. President Donald Trump's claims of a personal relationship with its leader Kim Jong-un as a mere "lingering desire."

This is the first time North Korea has publicly responded to Trump's recent frequent mentions of Kim.

"[This is] buoying a lingering desire for the prospects of the DPRK-U.S. relations," the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), North Korea's state-run media, said in a commentary titled "Whether Second Hand of DPRK-U.S. Confrontation Stops or Not Depends on U.S. Act."

DPRK is the acronym for North Korea's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Trump has frequently boasted of his friendship with Kim since being nominated as the Republican presidential candidate. He said he "got along" great with the North Korean leader when he was in office and would like to take Kim to a baseball game. The week before, the former U.S. president echoed similar rhetoric, saying Kim "misses" him and "would like to see [him] back."

Kim and Trump reportedly developed personal ties through several high-profile meetings despite North-U.S. denuclearization negotiations fizzling after their no-deal summit in Hanoi in February 2019.

While acknowledging the personal relationship between Trump and Kim, North Korea suggested that even if Trump wins the upcoming election, U.S. policy will not change.

"Even if any administration takes office in the U.S., the political climate, which is confused by the infighting of the two parties, does not change and, accordingly, we do not care about this," the KCNA said.

"It is true that Trump, when he was president, tried to reflect the special personal relations between the heads of states in the relations between states, but he did not bring about any substantial positive change," it continued. "He that puts on a public gown must put off a private person. The foreign policy of a state and personal feelings must be strictly distinguished."

The KCNA criticized the United States, citing past instances such as the termination of the U.S.-North Korea Agreed Framework by the George W. Bush administration after it was established by the Bill Clinton administration. It labeled the United States a "backward country and rogue state in politics" that makes "no scruple of turning over the inter-state treaty and agreement in a moment."

The commentary expressed skepticism about U.S. proposals for dialogue, saying they are "needless" while Washington deploys nuclear strategic assets and beefs up its modern military hardware on the peninsula.

However, North Korea hinted at a willingness to talk if the United States changed its actions.

"The U.S. had better make a proper choice in the matter of how to deal with the DPRK in the future, while sincerely agonizing the gains and losses in the DPRK-U.S. confrontation," the commentary said, concluding, "Whether the second hand of the DPRK-U.S. confrontation stops or not entirely depends on the U.S. act."

The South Korean Unification Ministry said remarks in commentary form are less authoritative than an official statement or declaration from a North Korean official.

"By responding through a KCNA commentary rather than through officials or the foreign ministry, North Korea is taking a cautious approach," a ministry official told reporters under the condition of anonymity on Tuesday. "Acknowledging the personal relationship between Trump and Kim while emphasizing that the future of U.S.-North Korea relations depends entirely on the U.S. actions indicate a need for a change in U.S. policy towards North Korea."

Meanwhile, an ex-Trump official raised speculation that Kim may attempt to rekindle his "bromance" with Trump if he returns to the White House and might propose a deal to limit North's nuclear program in exchange for the withdrawal of American troops from South Korea.

"What he's going to do right after [Trump is elected president] is he's going to say, 'Hey, I've got a deal for you. I'll satisfy your impulse toward retrenchment, and in exchange for U.S. forces leaving the peninsula and just letting me have a few nukes, I will stop my long-range ballistic missile program and limit my nuclear program.'," H.R. McMaster, Trump's national security adviser from 2017 to 2018, said during an online chat hosted by the Hudson Institute Monday.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]