North Korea refuses to resume talks with U.S.

North Korea has continued to reject U.S. offers to resume bilateral discussions, which could include nuclear, missile, and conventional weapons issues.

At a July 26 press conference in Hanoi, Secretary of State Colin Powell stressed a willingness to resume discussions quickly with North Korea on the "broad agenda" laid out by President George W. Bush in June. At that time, Bush controversially called for bilateral talks that would link progress on nuclear and missile issues to a "less threatening" North Korean conventional military presence on the Korean Peninsula. Powell emphasized a U.S. willingness to "meet any time and any place" to "talk about anything."

Despite this …