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North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui (center) gives a press conference with foreign ministers and international reporters in Pyongyang on Mar. 15. To the right is Choe’s translator and on the left is someone who was identified as the “vice director” of North Korea’s foreign ministry but has yet to be identified. (AP/Yonhap News)

North Korea’s three major news outlets – the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and Korean Central Television (KCTV) – continued for a third straight day with no reports on the Pyongyang press conference given by Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui on Mar. 15. Similarly, they have yet to report on details from a press conference given by Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho after midnight on Feb. 28 following the second North Korea-US summit in Hanoi, which ended without an agreement.

This is a repeating pattern: a message is relayed to the US through a press conference, but not reported internally. It signals that Pyongyang is not yet ready to officially revise the position stated on the front page of the Rodong Sinmun’s Mar. 1 edition, which stated that leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump had “increased their mutual trust and respect” and “agreed to continue with productive dialogue.”

“It seems to indicate their plans to observe the other side’s response before deciding their future course of action,” said a senior South Korean government official on Mar. 17.

Indeed, Choe’s declaration that Pyongyang “has no intention of conceding to US demands in any forms” essentially echoed the position previously voiced by Ri, who said there would “no changes to our plan even if the US proposes negotiations again.” Both drew a firm line against any concessions.

But one difference between them is worth noting: while Ri made no mention of a future “action plan” in his conference, Choe’s message alluded to actions by top leadership. Specifically, she said the continuation of a 15-month-long moratorium on nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches was “wholly dependent on the determination of our State Affairs Commission chairman [Kim Jong-un].” As a message of pressure and warning against the US, it skirts the danger zone.

“The North’s decision to have Choe speak rather than issuing an official statement could be seen as sounding out the US’ response for the time being,” suggested a former senior official and veteran North Korea watcher.

The official also suggested there was a “substantial risk of the North taking ‘action’ if no measures are taken to stabilize the situation.” This explains the need to focus on Choe’s message that North Korea’s “supreme leadership appears poised to make its decision shortly.” At the same time, she did not specify that Kim himself would be the agent behind the “decision,” and the fact that the remarks took the form of “speculation” rather than a “warning” makes their implications difficult to judge.

“This is a moment when the roles of South Korea and China – the role of Chinese President Xi Jinping in particular – are crucially important,” said one former senior official.

“A realistic approach would be for Xi to send a special envoy to the North to precisely determine Kim’s intentions and establish a firm foundation again for negotiations,” the official suggested.

At their fourth summit on Jan. 8, Kim reminded Xi of a previous pledge to “manage the political situation on the Korean Peninsula and engage in the denuclearization talks process as well as joint research and navigation,” according to a front-page article in the Jan. 10 edition of the Rodong Sinmun.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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