White House: "Contacted North Korea but Received No Response"... Diplomacy Remains Top Priority

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] The Biden administration in the United States attempted to contact North Korea but acknowledged that it received no response, the White House said.

White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said at a regular briefing on the 15th (local time) regarding reports that the Biden administration tried to engage with North Korea but received no reply, "As we have always done, we clearly have many series of (North Korea-US) channels."

Psaki added, "However, so far we have received no response."

Earlier, a foreign media outlet reported that since mid-last month, the Biden administration attempted to contact North Korea through various channels, including New York (North Korea's mission to the United Nations), but received no reply.

Psaki said, "The United States has tried to engage multiple times, but it has been over a year without active dialogue with North Korea. Diplomacy remains the top priority."

The Biden administration has declared it will review its North Korea policy. Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, Sung Kim, also indicated that the review of North Korea strategy could be completed within weeks ahead of Secretary of State Tony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin's visits to South Korea and Japan.

Psaki's remarks are interpreted as suggesting that despite Secretary Blinken's announcement that various measures including sanctions and diplomatic incentives are being explored, diplomacy remains the foundation of the North Korea policy.

Psaki stated, "We are focusing on consulting with many former government officials involved in North Korea policy, including some from previous administrations, and will continue to engage with our allies Japan and South Korea to seek advice and explore new approaches."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.