"Unconditional Dialogue Proposal Valid" US Passes the Ball to North Korea

[Asia Economy Reporter Yoo In-ho] The United States has reaffirmed its existing stance of ‘unconditional dialogue with North Korea.’

The Biden administration emphasized that the upcoming South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises scheduled for this month will be conducted through consultations with the South Korean government, showing no concern over North Korea’s pressure to halt the exercises.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On the 3rd (local time), the U.S. State Department stated in a briefing, "The proposal to meet North Korea anytime, anywhere, unconditionally remains valid."

Ned Price, spokesperson for the U.S. State Department, when asked about contact with North Korea, responded, "As you heard from Special Representative for North Korea Affairs Sung Kim, our proposal remains the same: ‘anytime, anywhere, unconditionally.’ Whether North Korea responds positively to our contact depends on them."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Price also reaffirmed the U.S.’s existing position supporting inter-Korean dialogue and welcoming the restoration of inter-Korean communication lines. This remark is interpreted as a reaffirmation of the Biden administration’s pragmatic diplomatic strategy toward North Korea, emphasizing that the ball is in North Korea’s court.

The U.S. also maintains a firm stance on the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the Department of Defense, said at the briefing that, "As we have said multiple times, we maintain appropriate training and readiness on the Korean Peninsula, and all decisions regarding training and readiness will be made in close consultation with our ally, South Korea."

He added, "Nothing has changed regarding being properly trained and prepared on the Korean Peninsula, which faces a series of threats."

When asked if the South Korean government requested a halt to the exercises, he said, "I won’t engage in hypothetical discussions," but noted, "That has not happened."

However, while the South Korean government supports the U.S. strategy toward North Korea, it is taking a cautious stance toward North Korea.

Regarding National Intelligence Service Director Park Jie-won’s statement at the National Assembly Intelligence Committee the previous day that "the recent restoration of inter-Korean communication lines was at the request of Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers’ Party," the Ministry of Unification drew a line by saying, "Neither side requested it first."

This is interpreted as the South Korean government, which is pursuing dialogue with North Korea, being mindful of the U.S. diplomatic principle of ‘unconditional dialogue with North Korea.’

A senior official from the Ministry of Unification said, "The restoration of inter-Korean communication lines was the result of sufficient consultation and agreement between both sides."

Meanwhile, the U.S. Congress has allocated additional budget for deploying homeland defense radar in Hawaii to counter threats such as North Korea’s intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee recently included $85 million (approximately 98 billion KRW) in the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act for the homeland defense radar deployment plan, according to Voice of America (VOA) on the 4th.

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