WASHINGTON, May 19 (Yonhap) — The United States is committed to serious dialogue with North Korea and stands ready to “act reciprocally” toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, the National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
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This is one of the few times a senior US official has confirmed US willingness to reciprocate Pyongyang’s denuclearization measures.
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“(We) have made no secret of the fact that from the very beginning of this administration, we have reached out to North Korea to say that we are ready to sit down and talk without preconditions, to discuss a way forward, to move towards the ultimate goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula,” Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to South Korea.
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“And we have offered to do so on a reciprocal basis, that we are ready to take action if they commit to implementing measures in the service of this ultimate objective,” he added. .
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Sullivan is accompanying President Joe Biden on his six-day trip to Asia which will also take him to Japan starting Sunday (local time). The top national security adviser noted that Pyongyang remained unresponsive to US overtures, saying “so far North Korea has shown no indication of willingness to engage in meaningful or constructive diplomacy.”
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Pyongyang has shied away from denuclearization talks with the United States since late 2019. The North accuses Washington of having hostile intentions towards the country and says it will not engage in dialogue until Washington gives up its hostile policy.
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Sullivan stressed that the United States would continue to remain open to dialogue, but would also keep the pressure on the reclusive country until the North returns to the dialogue table. “And as long as they continue to refuse to do so, we will stay on the course we are on, which is to pressurize, coordinate closely with our allies, and respond to provocations with clarity and determination,” the statement said. White House official.
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Sullivan also reiterated the possibility of North Korea staging additional provocations during or after Biden’s first trip to Asia, but said the United States was fully prepared to respond.
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“There is a real possibility, a real risk of some kind of provocation while we are in the region, whether in South Korea or Japan, which could take the form of a nuclear test,” he said. – he told the press. “We are prepared for these eventualities. We are closely coordinated with the Republic of Korea and Japan. We know what we will do to respond to it,” he added.
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