The U.S. special representative for North Korea said he hopes leaders in Pyongyang will agree to meet "anywhere, anytime" to resume diplomatic discussions on the Asian nation's nuclear capability.
Sung Kim said Monday that he is hoping for a positive response from leader Kim Jong Un and North Korean government officials despite Pyongyang's ominous declaration last week they are "prepared for dialogue or confrontation" with the United States. Speaking during trilateral discussions between Japanese and South Korean envoys on Monday, Kim said President Joe Biden will continue to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions against North Korea in the meantime.
Biden administration national security adviser Jake Sullivan told ABC News on Sunday that the White House needs a "clearer signal" from Pyongyang before moving ahead with diplomatic talks of any kind.
"We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach and our offer to meet anywhere, anytime, without preconditions," Kim said, referring to the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.
"We will also urge all U.N. member states, especially U.N. Security Council members, to do the same, to address the threat posed to the international community by the DPRK," he continued.
During a four-day meeting of the Korean Workers' Party Central Committee last week in his country, Kim Jong Un said his country is prepared for both dialogue and potential military conflict with the U.S. The North Korean leader also demanded "stable control" of the Korean Peninsula. Talks between the U.S. and North Korea have stalled since former President Donald Trump met with Kim in 2019, without any deal being reached.
Sullivan said Sunday that "we will wait to see whether [the North Koreans] follow up with any kind of more direct communication to us about a potential path forward."
U.S. envoy Sung Kim is continuing to reaffirm a commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomatic talks between all regional leaders.
"I reiterated our support for meaningful inter-Korean dialogue, cooperation and engagement as our two leaders did in Washington, during President Moon's visit to Washington," said South Korean diplomat Noh Kyu-duh, referencing a May 21 summit. Noh added that South Korea looks to play a major role in diplomatic denuclearization talks with the North Koreans, alongside Washington and Tokyo government officials.
"We wish to restore the structure where inter-Korean and U.S.-DPRK relations reinforce each other in a mutually beneficial way," Noh said.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for comment on talks with North Korea but did not hear back before publication.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Benjamin Fearnow is a reporter based out of Newsweek's New York City offices. He was previously at CBS and Mediaite ... Read more
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