Washington (CNN) Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisted that North Korea is keeping open the possibility of continued talks after Pyongyang's deputy foreign minister said they might walk from negotiations, criticizing the top US diplomat and national security adviser John Bolton for creating "an atmosphere of hostility."

"She left open the possibility that negotiations continue," Pompeo said when asked about the official's comments Friday at the State Department, where he also touched on the International Criminal Court and the brutal attack on two mosques in New Zealand. "We are hopeful we can continue to have conversations and negotiations."

As for the personal criticism, the top US diplomat said, "they're wrong about that." Deputy Foreign Minister Choe Son Hui had taken pains to tell reporters that President Donald Trump was not the problem, stressing that ties between him and leader Kim Jong Un were "still good and the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful," according to the New York times.

Pompeo appeared to dismiss the rhetoric as a bargaining ploy or an attempt to drive a wedge between the US team and described his interactions as professional.

'Not the first time'

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