Bumpy road ahead North Korea's harsh rhetoric dampens hope for dialogue It is difficult to expect North Korea to return to dialogue anytime soon as the country is ramping up its rhetoric against the United States. It is disappointing to see the North trying to heighten tension on the Korean Peninsula, instead of making good on its denuclearization commitment. On Sunday, Kwon Jong-gun, director general of the U.S. affairs department at the North's Foreign Ministry, denounced U.S. President Joe Biden for calling Pyongyang's nuclear program a "serious threat" ― he lashed out at Biden for making a "big blunder." His criticism came after Biden said in his first congressional address last Wednesday that the U.S. will work closely with its allies to address serious threats from North Korea and Iran through "diplomacy" and "stern deterrence."