SEOUL • North Korea has said the US will not drop its hostile policy even though their two leaders have a "special relationship", state media KCNA reported yesterday.

A North Korean official said in a statement that US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was undermining North Korea's willingness to return to dialogue, criticising his recent remarks on sanctions against North Korea.

Mr Pompeo had said after a teleconference with Group of Seven foreign ministers last week that all nations must remain united in calling for North Korea to return to negotiations, and applying diplomatic and economic pressure over its nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.

KCNA said: "The world would not know why US-North Korea relations continue to get tangled up, despite the special relationship between the leaders of North Korea and the United States."

North Korea had said earlier this month that it welcomed a letter from US President Donald Trump to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as a sign of their "special and very firm personal relations", despite recent frictions.

KCNA also said yesterday that North Korea's latest test of super-large multiple rocket launchers was a success.

The country fired what appeared to be two short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Sunday.

KCNA said the launch was to examine the strategic and technical features of the launchers.

REUTERS