North Korean foreign minister voices 'despair' for ties with US, two years after summit

[SEOUL] Two years after a landmark summit between North Korea's Kim Jong Un and US President Donald Trump, any hopes for improved ties have turned to feelings of "despair," Pyongyang's foreign minister said Friday.

In a lengthy statement carried by the state Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), Foreign Minister Ri Son Gwon said while people in both countries wanted peace, Washington was "hell-bent on only exacerbating the situation".

"What stands out is that the hope for improved DPRK-US relations - which was high in the air under the global spotlight two years ago - has now been shifted into despair characterised by spiraling deterioration," Mr Ri said in the statement.

AFP