SEOUL, June 23, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - The influential sister of North Korean
leader Kim Jong Un said Tuesday that Washington had "wrong" expectations for
dialogue with Pyongyang and was facing "disappointment," state media
reported.

  The White House promised a "practical, calibrated approach" -- including
diplomatic efforts -- in a recent review of its strategy to persuade the
impoverished North to give up its nuclear and missile programme.

  Sung Kim, the top US diplomat in charge of North Korea negotiations,
underlined the message Monday during a five-day visit to Seoul, where he said
Washington was ready to meet with Pyongyang "anywhere, anytime, without
preconditions".

  But Kim Yo Jong -- a key adviser to her brother -- appeared to dismiss
prospects for an early resumption of negotiations, saying the US seemed to be
seeking "comfort for itself".

  Washington harbours expectations "the wrong way", which would "plunge them
into a greater disappointment", she added in the statement reported by
Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency.

  Since US President Joe Biden's election, the two countries have adopted a
wait-and-see attitude to relations following the diplomatic roller-coaster
ride under Donald Trump that produced three historic summits but no agreement
on dismantling the North's nuclear arsenal.

  Kim Jong Un said last week that Pyongyang needed to prepare for both
"dialogue and confrontation" with Washington -- but with a particular
emphasis on the latter.

  The North at the weekend admitted it was tackling a food crisis, sounding
the alarm in a country with a moribund agricultural sector that has long
struggled to feed itself.

  It is now under self-imposed isolation to protect itself against the
coronavirus pandemic, and as a result trade with Beijing -- its economic
lifeline -- has slowed to a trickle while all international aid work faces
tight restrictions.

  Kim Yo Jong's remarks "have not changed our view on diplomacy", US State
Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.

  "We remain prepared to engage in... negotiations with the DPRK to deal with
the challenge of its nuclear programme."

  Price said the US hoped North Korea would "respond positively" to the US
offer to meet.

  "Again, our policy is not aimed at hostility. It is aimed at solutions. And
it is ultimately about achieving the complete denuclearization of the Korean
Peninsula," the spokesman added.