SEOUL, June 02 (Yonhap) – The recent appointment by the United States of a special envoy for North Korea indicates that it is ready for dialogue, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Wednesday, expressing the hope that Pyongyang “takes part in this possibility”.
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Sherman made the remarks during a conference call with reporters, referring to President Joe Biden’s announcement last month of career diplomat Sung Kim as Special Representative for the DPRK, the acronym from the official name of the North, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
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Sherman also clarified that Kim, who served as Acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia and Pacific Affairs, will also be the United States’ Ambassador to Indonesia while assuming the role of Envoy. special.
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“President Biden has just announced (…) that he has appointed as Special Representative or Special Envoy for the DPRK talks if they were to begin, Ambassador Sung Kim, who is currently our Ambassador to Indonesia and served as Acting Assistant Secretary for the Asia-Pacific region, but will return to Indonesia full time, ”Sherman said.
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“And that was another signal showing that we are ready and prepared to have a dialogue with the DPRK, and we hope that they will seize this possibility,” she added.
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Kim’s appointment announcement came after the United States completed its months-long review of its northern policy and said it would pursue a calibrated and practical approach towards the goal of complete denuclearization of the peninsula. Korean.
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Sherman stressed that the United States had “made known our policy to the DPRK”. It remains to be seen whether she meant that Washington had informed the North of its new policy through its public statements or that Washington had contacted Pyongyang directly to explain its policy.
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