US "Willing to Talk with North Korea Unconditionally... Also Strengthening Preparedness Against Missile Threats"

[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Joselgina] On the 30th (local time), the U.S. Department of Defense stated that it is willing to engage in dialogue with North Korea without any preconditions regarding North Korea's ballistic missile test launch. However, it added that it will also strengthen military preparedness against missile threats.

John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, said this during an appearance on Fox News that day. He emphasized, "The commitment to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula remains unchanged," and "We have promised dialogue with North Korea and are willing to sit down without preconditions."

However, he also confirmed the military readiness against North Korea's missile threats to protect U.S. forces and allies in the Northeast Asia region. He said, "We must ensure that the alliance on the Korean Peninsula is strong," adding that military preparedness will be firmly maintained in response to North Korea's repeated ballistic missile threats.

This statement came immediately after North Korea test-fired one intermediate-range ballistic missile (IRBM) the previous day. It is the first time since November 2017 that North Korea has conducted a test launch of an intermediate-range or longer ballistic missile.

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