U.S. President Donald Trump's needling of Kim Jong Un, the leader of the hermit nation of North Korea, to meet for a third summit, has hit a snag.

North Korean Foreign Ministry adviser Kim Kye Gwan said it has no interest in giving Trump further meetings to brag about, unless it gets something substantial in return.

“Three rounds of DPRK-U.S. summit meetings and talks were held since June last year, but no particular improvement has been achieved in the DPRK-U.S. relations... the U.S. only seeks to earn time, pretending it has made progress in settling the issue of the Korean Peninsula,” he said in a statement carried by the official Korean Central News Agency.

North Korea was referred to by the initials of its formal name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“We are no longer interested in such talks that bring nothing to us. As we have got nothing in return, we will no longer gift the U.S. president with something he can boast of, but get compensation for the successes that President Trump is proud of as his administrative achievements.”

This is the latest call by North Korea for U.S. concessions ahead of an end-of-year deadline set by Kim Jong Un.

Trump tweets at Kim

After cancelling joint military exercises with South Korea over the weekend, Trump tweeted to urge Kim Jong Un to “act quickly, get the deal done”.

Trump also hinted at another summit between them, saying “See you soon!”

Mr. Chairman, Joe Biden may be Sleepy and Very Slow, but he is not a “rabid dog.” He is actually somewhat better than that, but I am the only one who can get you where you have to be. You should act quickly, get the deal done. See you soon! https://t.co/kO2k14lTf7

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 17, 2019

But to salvage nuclear diplomacy, North Korea wants the Trump administration to offer mutually acceptable terms for a deal.

Kim Kye Gwan said Washington must discard what North Korea sees as “hostile” policies, to keep the negotiations alive.

Kim Kye Gwan is a veteran diplomat.

He previously led the North Korean delegation at the effectively defunct six-nation nuclear disarmament talks held in Beijing in 2003 to 2008.

His statement came hours after KCNA reported that Kim Jong Un supervised a military drill.

It was North Korea’s second publicised military drill in three days.

North Korea has been carrying out military demonstrations in recent months as a pressure tactic over the talks.

No progress after two summits

A February summit between Kim and Trump in Vietnam broke down after the U.S. rejected North Korean demands for broad sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of its nuclear capabilities.

Kim issued an end-of-year deadline.

He also said North Korea would seek a “new path” if the U.S. persists with sanctions and pressure.

Trump and Kim met in Singapore on June 12, 2018 for the first summit.

Working-level talks in October 2018 in Sweden broke down again.

North Koreans described the failure as a result of Americans’ “old stance and attitude”.

North Korea last week said the United States has proposed a resumption of negotiations in December.

Trump is battling an impeachment inquiry and in the heat of his reelection campaign that will only get more hectic.

Top photo via KCNA