US State Department: "Denuclearization is Central to North Korea Policy... Will Coordinate with Allies"

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] The U.S. Department of State stated that denuclearization will remain at the center of its North Korea policy, and that all approaches toward North Korea will be coordinated closely with allies including South Korea and Japan.

On the 1st (local time), Ned Price, spokesperson for the State Department, made these remarks during a regular briefing ahead of the trilateral meeting between U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and his counterparts from Japan and South Korea.

Price said, "I do not want to prejudge the conclusions of the ongoing review," but added, "Denuclearization will continue to be at the core of the United States' North Korea policy."

Regarding the first trilateral security directors' meeting between South Korea, the U.S., and Japan scheduled for the 2nd, Price said, "It will be an opportunity to hear directly from (South Korea and Japan) and to share thoughts and perspectives."

He noted that last month, the U.S. emphasized the importance of close bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and South Korea, as well as between the U.S. and Japan, and also stressed the necessity of close trilateral cooperation, expressing his pleasure to see this meeting take place.

When asked whether this trilateral consultation represents a kind of final stage in the policy review process or if more consultations will be needed, Price responded, "I do not want to go beyond what we have said before," adding that "our review of the North Korea policy is reaching conclusions."

He said that throughout the review process, consultations have been held not only with allies South Korea and Japan but also with other partners, and that this consultation will be a repetition of that process as the review nears completion. However, he declined to set a firm deadline for it.

On the 2nd, Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Advisor, Suh Hoon, Director of South Korea’s National Security Office, and Shigeru Kitamura, Director of Japan’s National Security Secretariat, will meet at the U.S. Naval Academy near Washington D.C. for their first trilateral consultation.

Earlier, the White House National Security Council (NSC) stated that various issues including maintaining peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and diplomatic policy priorities will be discussed.

Meanwhile, on the 25th of last month, U.S. President Joe Biden condemned North Korea’s short-range ballistic missile launches as a "violation of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC)" and warned that while the U.S. remains open to diplomacy with North Korea, there will be responses if North Korea escalates issues. He also indicated that diplomatic efforts will be made on the premise of final denuclearization.

When asked whether meeting with Chairman Kim Jong-un, like former President Donald Trump did, would be part of the Biden administration’s diplomatic approach to North Korea, President Biden said, "His approach would be quite different, and that is not his intention," indicating he has no intention to meet.

In response to this stance from the U.S., North Korea reportedly expressed deep hostility, criticizing the Biden administration for taking a wrong first step and calling Biden’s remarks "an infringement of the right to self-defense and a provocation," according to foreign media reports.

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