US envoy offers to meet North Korean officials 'anywhere, anytime' sans any preconditions

United States Special Representative to North Korea, Sung Kim, on June 21, offered to meet officials from Pyongyang "anywhere anytime without preconditions". In the meantime, Washington will continue to enforce United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions on the North Korea over its nuclear weapons and also urge other member states to do the same, Sung further added.

“We continue to hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach, and our offer to meet anywhere anytime without preconditions,” he said, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

His remarks came while addressing media reporters in Seoul, where he met South Korea’s top nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk as a part of his five day trip to the country. Meanwhile, Noh told reporters that he and Kim deliberated on ways to facilitate “prompt” resumption of diplomacy with North Korea. It is imperative to note that Kim and Noh also held trilateral talks with their Japanese counterpart Takehiro Funakoshi where, observers said, the North could have been discussed.  

'Calibrated approach' 

Diplomatic talks between North Korea and the United States have been in limbo following the collapse of the 2019 summit between Kim Jong-un and then American President Donald Trump. However, as Joe Biden took charge, he vowed a “practical, calibrated approach” to persuade the hermit nation to give up its banned nuclear weapons and other ballistic missiles.

On the other hand, Kim, in his first response to the Biden policy review, asserted that Pyongyang must prepare for both “dialogue and confrontation”. According to North Korean state media, the iron fist also ordered his government to be fully prepared for a confrontation with the Biden administration. The Korean Central News Agency said that Kim issued the order while clarifying the steps the North must take in response to the policy direction of the new US government of President Joe Biden during an ongoing ruling party meeting in Pyongyang. KCNA further quoted Kim as saying, such preparation is necessary to “protect the dignity of our state and its interests for independent development and to reliably guarantee the peaceful environment and the security of our state.

File: usembassy.gov