New York: North Korea has refused to accept US President Donald Trump's letter to its leader Kim Jong-un, which aimed to resume long-stalled bilateral talks, a report said on Wednesday. The letter was an attempt to rekindle diplomatic discussions that have been inactive for over five years.

According to Anadolu Agency, a US-based website that provides news and analysis on North Korea, the refusal came despite multiple attempts by Washington to deliver the letter. These attempts were made through North Korean diplomats stationed at the UN headquarters in New York. The diplomats reportedly "bluntly" refused the letter, and the timing of the delivery remains unclear.

The United States and North Korea lack formal diplomatic relations and technically remain in a state of war, as the Korean War (1950-1953) ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. In an unprecedented diplomatic gesture, Trump in 2019 became the first sitting US president to set foot on North Korean soil. This visit was part of ongoing negotiations with Pyongyang concerning its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, held in the demilitarized zone separating North and South Korea.

Since then, North Korea has continued its missile and nuclear tests. It recently claimed the first successful launch of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile in 2023, marking significant developments in its military capabilities.