[ti:North Korea Sends Mixed Signals on Talks with US] [by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:00.04]A top North Korean official Tuesday [00:03.76]signaled that future talks with the United States were unlikely. [00:10.20]The comments came days after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un [00:16.52]talked about the possibility of opening talks with the U.S. [00:22.92]Kim Yo Jong is the powerful sister of the North Korean leader. [00:28.48]She said in a statement that the U.S. has the "wrong" expectation [00:34.44]about her brother's recent comments. [00:38.44]The U.S. is looking at the situation in a way "to seek comfort for itself," [00:44.72]she told the state-run Korean Central News Agency. [00:49.64]She added that the expectation for talks with North Korea [00:55.20]will lead the U.S. into "greater disappointment." [01:00.52]Last week, Kim Jong Un said at a ruling party meeting [01:05.96]that his country must be ready for both "dialogue and confrontation." [01:13.56]President Joe Biden's administration said last month [01:18.52]that it was open to talks with North Korea. [01:23.08]But the administration added that North Korea [01:27.20]must give up its nuclear weapons. [01:31.84]Jake Sullivan is the White House National Security Advisor. [01:37.88]He told ABC News that Kim's comments were an "interesting signal" [01:43.76]but that he wants a clearer message from North Korea. [01:48.04]He also said the U.S. wanted to restart negotiations [01:52.84]with North Korea about its nuclear program. [01:57.28]This week, Sung Kim, the U.S. diplomat for North Korea, [02:02.52]met with South Korean and Japanese officials on the North Korean issue. [02:08.60]He said he hopes North Korea will agree to meet [02:12.16]"anytime, anywhere without preconditions." [02:17.72]Jenny Town is a Korean expert at the Stimson Center in Washington, D.C. [02:25.00]She said Kim Yo Jong's statement [02:27.88]does not fully eliminate the idea that diplomacy can restart. [02:33.44]She noted that the statement "appears to suggest it's not likely for now." [02:40.00]North Korea has boycotted talks with the United States since 2019. [02:45.44]Kim Jong Un and former U.S. President Donald Trump [02:50.72]met in February of that year in Vietnam. [02:55.16]North Korea offered to close a nuclear center [02:59.32]in exchange for a lifting of sanctions. [03:02.68]But Trump rejected the offer. [03:06.60]Since then, the coronavirus pandemic has made talks all but impossible. [03:12.96]North Korea closed its border in January 2020. [03:17.76]And it limited contact with the outside world [03:21.60]including its main trading partner China. [03:25.92]Leif-Eric Easley is a professor at Ewha University in Seoul. [03:32.40]He said the border closings [03:34.68]"have caused much economic" hardship in the country. [03:39.72]At a meeting with senior officials last week, [03:43.24]Kim Jong Un admitted that his country [03:46.48]is facing a "tense" food situation. [03:50.12]Easley said, "These meetings are largely political theater [03:54.88]to cover up failures of economic planning and oppressive social control." [04:02.00]Several foreign media outlets reported that North Korea [04:06.92]is facing growing food shortages and high price increases. [04:12.60]However, it is difficult to confirm the information. [04:16.64]Most foreigners, including aid workers and diplomats, [04:21.96]have left the country during the pandemic. [04:26.16]North Korea says that it has no coronavirus cases in the country. [04:32.32]The claim has been widely disputed by experts. [04:36.52]And an outbreak would be very damaging to a poor country [04:41.52]with a weak healthcare system and a lack of medical supplies. [04:47.64]I'm Dan Novak. 更多听力请访问51VOA.COM