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Kim Yo-jong, director of the General Affairs Department of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party. / Yonhap News Agency

Kim Yo-jong, director of the General Affairs Department of North Korea's ruling Workers' Party, has suggested that a U.S.-North Korea summit may not take place, denouncing the United States as "untrustworthy and hostile" following her explanation of North Korea's position on the Binance hacking incident involving more than 8 trillion won.

On Nov. 4, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported a statement issued by Kim that day.

"The hostile signals that the United States continues to send toward our country are prompting us to reconsider the nature of the United States in various respects," Kim said.

"The so-called cryptocurrency hacking incident allegedly carried out by North Korea is merely the tip of the iceberg revealing the true nature of the U.S. hostile policy toward North Korea," she said.

"Recently alone, the United States has once again raised its voice on denuclearization at a trilateral diplomatic forum involving South Korea and Japan, and has continued to set new records of hostile actions against us, including conducting joint military exercises under various pretexts, imposing unilateral and multilateral sanctions, and releasing a human trafficking report," she added.

"The fundamental prerequisite for resolving all issues is for the United States to abandon its hostile policy toward North Korea," Kim said.

"The United States talks about dialogue but refuses to abandon its policy of confrontation. It talks about peace but favors military exercises and stronger military alliances. It preaches improved relations but avoids respecting the sovereignty, rights and interests of the other side."

"Our clear position is that there is no need to sit down with such untrustworthy and hostile people," she said.

Amid growing speculation about a possible U.S.-North Korea summit, Kim's remarks are being interpreted as an attempt to gain the upper hand in determining whether talks between the two countries will take place.

In particular, the fact that Kim has personally issued statements in an unusual response to allegations linking North Korea to the cyberattack, coupled with her role in effectively overseeing the country's foreign relations, suggests an intention to strengthen Pyongyang's negotiating position.

At the end of her statement, however, Kim also suggested that the possibility of dialogue with the United States remained open.

"We know no other way to respond to the hostile signals that the United States continues to send. New records should rightly be set in our corresponding responses as well," she said.

"Dialogue is certainly among the options for safeguarding peace, but for us, it does not necessarily coincide with our national interests," she added.

                                                                                                              Lee Han-sol