US hopes for 'positive response' from North Korea
(Baonghean.vn) - The new US special envoy in charge of North Korea said on June 21 that he expected Pyongyang to soon give a "positive response" to Washington's proposal for dialogue.
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| South Korea's top nuclear envoy Noh Kyu-duk (right) and his US counterpart Sung Kim at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul on June 21. Photo: Yonhap |
The remarks came after recent statements by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that Pyongyang needs to be ready for both dialogue and confrontation.
During a meeting with Noh Kyu-duk, Seoul's top nuclear envoy, Ambassador Sung Kim added that Washington would be ready for either dialogue or confrontation: "We will be ready for either scenario, as we are still waiting to hear Pyongyang's response to the proposal for a meeting. Hopefully, Chairman Kim Jong-un's mention of dialogue is a sign that we will soon receive a positive response."
Following the talks, the US special envoy reaffirmed the shared commitment of the US and South Korea to pursuing complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy and dialogue.
“I also reiterated our support for meaningful inter-Korean dialogue, cooperation, and engagement as our two leaders did in Washington, when President Moon visited Washington,” he said, referring to the May 21 US-South Korea summit.
In his talks with Mr. Kim, Mr. Noh affirmed that Seoul will continue to play a “necessary” role in the early resumption of dialogue with Pyongyang through coordination with Washington: “We hope to restore the structure in which inter-Korean and US-North Korea relations reinforce each other in a mutually beneficial manner.”
Earlier, during a four-day plenary session of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, leader Kim Jong-un called on the country to be ready for both dialogue and confrontation, and stressed the need to "stably control" the situation on the Korean Peninsula.
In an interview with ABC News, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan commented on Mr. Kim's statements as "interesting signals", saying: "We will wait to see if there is any further form of more direct communication after that about the possibility of opening a way forward."
After their talks, Mr. Kim and Mr. Noh attended a trilateral meeting with their Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi. Mr. Kim, who is also the US ambassador to Indonesia, was accompanied by Deputy Special Envoy Jung Pak and a representative of the US National Security Council. Mr. Kim arrived in Seoul on June 19 to begin a five-day working trip.