US not adhering to its side of the bargain

North Korea issued a forceful statement Thursday against what it said were elements of the US government which are not adhering to the spirit of the dialogue established by US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Singapore summit hin June.

Pyongyang said while it had taken "such practical denuclearization steps as discontinuing nuclear test and ICBM test fire" and "broadminded measures" like the repatriation of US Korean War remains, "the US responded to our expectation by inciting international sanctions and pressure against (North Korea)."

The statement, credited to North Korea's Foreign Ministry, notably did not blame Trump but singled out "some high-level officials within the US administration" who it said were going against the President's will. It also echoed criticism of previous administrations' approaches to North Korea that Trump himself has made.

The statement seems intended to hit a target audience in the US, being released in English by North Korea's mission to the United Nations in New York, rather than just through the state-run Korean Central News Agency, the usual avenue for government announcements.

The statement was also published by KCNA.

North Korea's criticism of the US comes after Trump's national security adviser John Bolton said this week that the administration does not feel Pyongyang is living up to its end of the deal.

Bolton is a longtime Korea hawk and had been a critic of talking with North Korea before Trump opened diplomatic relations. Speaking to CNN on Monday, he said "we're waiting for the North Koreans to begin the process of denuclearization, which they committed to in Singapore and which they've not yet done."

His comments came as US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who has been leading negotiations with North Korea and has traveled to Pyongyang multiple times, stressed the process will take time and is still in the early stages.

The frustration expressed by North Korea points to a fundamental disagreement between the two parties as to the timeline and progress of implementing what was agreed by Kim and Trump.

North Korea has made clear it felt the Singapore summit was only a first step, and that its own concessions -- such as freezing nuclear and missile tests and the returning of remains -- should be reciprocated by the US in some manner.

Pyongyang believes there is a "strong possibility" of a second Kim-Trump summit, an official with close knowledge of North Korea's position on the matter told CNN this week.

Meanwhile, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) yesterday said a heat wave in North Korea has led to rice, maize and other crops withering in the fields, "with potentially catastrophic effects".

The world's largest disaster relief network warned of a risk of a "full-blown food security crisis" in the isolated country, where a famine in the mid-1990s killed up to three million people. It said the worrying situation had been exacerbated by international sanctions imposed due to North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes.

In a statement issued in Geneva, the IFRC said there had been no rainfall since early July as temperatures soared to an average 39 Celsius (102 Fahrenheit) across the country. The next rain was expected in mid-August.

The population of 25 million is already stressed and vulnerable with malnutrition among children that could worsen, stunting their growth, it said.