"Blinken Urges Dialogue with North Korea, Indicates Consideration of Other Options"

Tony Blinken, U.S. Secretary of State
[Photo by Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken has urged North Korea to resume dialogue and indicated that the U.S. is open to considering other options and possibilities, a senior U.S. State Department official said on the 9th.

At a phone press conference held on the same day regarding the recent ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Foreign Ministers' Meeting, Kin Moy, Director of the East Asia and Pacific Affairs Office at the U.S. State Department, said that through Secretary Blinken's remarks, it was clear that the U.S. is open to dialogue with North Korea, adding, "This shows a kind of willingness to consider other options."

He added, "Regarding possible future discussions, Secretary Blinken mentioned that he is open to other possibilities." However, he did not elaborate on what those other options and possibilities might be.

The ARF Foreign Ministers' Meeting, held virtually on the 6th, was attended by Secretary Blinken and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong, while North Korea was represented by Ambassador An Kwang-il of the DPRK Mission to ASEAN instead of Foreign Minister Ri Son-gwon.

Due to the multilateral nature of the ARF, which covers a wide range of issues, there was no discussion specifically on North Korean matters. However, Director Moy expressed hope that the U.S. government's message would be conveyed to the North Korean leadership.

Referring to North Korea by its official English abbreviation, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), he said, "We hope the DPRK side listens to us and takes this message back to Pyongyang," adding, "We will see what happens."

He also stated, "Secretary Blinken and other participants reiterated their interest in a comprehensive, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

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