Kritenbrink, US Deputy Assistant Secretary, "Ball in North Korea's Court for North Korea-US Talks"

[Asia Economy Reporter Inho Yoo] Daniel Kritenbrink, U.S. Department of State Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, suggested on the 12th that the possibility of North Korea-U.S. talks depends on North Korea's willingness.

Kritenbrink, visiting South Korea, said in an interview with a media outlet, "I think the ball is in North Korea's court. We are waiting for North Korea's response," and added, "So far, we have expressed our willingness to engage with North Korea without preconditions, but North Korea has not responded."

This is interpreted to mean that whether North Korea-U.S. talks will resume and lead to denuclearization negotiations depends on North Korea's decision.

Kritenbrink also mentioned that regarding the recent controversy over the Korea-U.S. differences on the declaration of the end of the war, "Close and productive consultations are underway."

When asked if the issue of the declaration of the end of the war was raised during meetings with the South Korean side, he emphasized, "As Special Representative Sung Kim stated during his visit to South Korea, we are closely consulting with South Korea on this issue," and "As partners and allies, we will always seriously consider any issues raised by South Korea."

Kritenbrink also claimed that the possibility of providing COVID-19 vaccines to North Korea remains open.

He said, "While focusing on the goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, we must not overlook the suffering of the North Korean people," and "We are willing to do what we can to meet the humanitarian needs of the North Korean people and will continue to cooperate for this purpose."

He further explained, "In response to North Korea's recent ongoing (missile) tests, we will continue to implement UN Security Council resolutions and various sanctions accordingly," and "The Korea-U.S. joint military exercises have been long-standing, are purely defensive in nature, and contribute to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and beyond."

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