U.S. rejects direct talks with DPRK over possible missile test

U.S. ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton on Wednesday ruled out the possibility of direct talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ( DPRK) over a possible missile test.

"You don't normally engage in conversations by threatening to launch intercontinental ballistic missiles," Bolton told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

"It's not a way to produce a conversation because if you acquiesce an apparent behavior you simply encourage the repetition of it, which we are obviously not going to do," he argued.

Han Song Ryol, deputy chief of the DPRK mission to the United Nations, said earlier that Pyongyang was seeking to resolve the potential missile test concerns through negotiations.

Han also insisted that the DPRK had the right to develop, deploy, test-fire and export missiles.

Botlon said he was continuing discussions with UN Security Council members on how to respond to the possible missile test.

Recent Japanese and Republic of Korea media reports said there was evidence the DPRK was preparing to test a Taepodong-2 long- range missile.

Source: Xinhua