North Korea dismisses proposed Donald Trump visit as 'useless propaganda'

Senior North Korean official says proposal is 'just a gesture for the presidential election'

Trump says that he 'would have no problem' meeting with North Korea to discuss nuclear programme (2015 Getty Images)

US presidential candidate Donald Trump’s proposed plans to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un have been dismissed a ‘useless’ by a senior North Korean official who claims the gesture is only election propaganda.

Mr Trump announced last week that he “would have no problem” meeting with the North Korean leader in order negotiate an end to Pyongyang’s nuclear programme.

But North Korean ambassador to the United Nations So Se Pyong has said dismissed the plan as “nonsense”.

Mr So told Reuters that the gesture was “a kind of propaganda or advertisement… Just a gesture for the presidential election”.

The ambassador said that the decision ultimately rests with leader Kim Jong-Un, but that he saw the visit as “useless”.

Mr So reiterated statements made by Mr Kim earlier this month pledging that North Korea will not use their Nuclear weapons first – only if the state is invaded.

“As a responsible nuclear state… we will never use them first,” said Mr So, who is an ambassador to the UN-backed Conference on Disarmament. “If the United States use their nuclear weapons first, then we have to use [them] also.”

“If the United States gives up their hostile policies and changes their attitude, then we also [can] have relations as a normal country.”

He added that North Korea had proposed “high level military talks” with South Korea, but that these had been refused.

Despite harsh UN sanctions against North Korea following claims that the state had tested a hydrogen bomb, Kim Jong-Un held an historic national congress at the start of May, during which he hailed the “great success” of North Korea’s nuclear progress.

Mr Trump’s willingness to enter talks with North Korea comes in contrast to Barack Obama’s failure to meet with these leaders in person despite campaign promises.