North Korea is hinting it might boycott working-level nuclear talks.
Quoting a Foreign Ministry spokesman, the North's official KCNA news agency accused the U.S. of destroying the basis for the talks, making it impossible for the North to attend the proposed working group meeting.
The KCNA also claimed Washington is not interested in having fruitful dialogue but only seeks to give the impression that it is making efforts to resolve the nuclear issue.
The North's statement comes after reports that the United States proposed to hold the fourth round of six-party working-level nuclear talks in New York.
In Seoul, a government official confirmed that U.S. officials made such a proposal last week during a seminar on North Korea's nuclear issue in New York. The official said that, with the exception of the North, participants of the nuclear talks had expressed support for the idea of holding the talks in the U.S. city.