US President Joe Biden is ready to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un without preconditions to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said.
“They (North Korea) have not responded positively to the offer, but the offer is still being negotiated. We are willing to sit down and negotiate without preconditions,” Kirby said in an interview with Kyodo News on Thursday (17/8).
Kirby’s remarks came a day before Biden is set to host a trilateral summit with Japanese and South Korean leaders that will discuss a range of issues, most notably North Korea’s rapid development of nuclear and missile capabilities.
Unlike his predecessor Donald Trump, who met directly with Kim three times, the Biden administration has never had a high-level meeting with North Korea and has only engaged its officials to discuss denuclearization.
Kirby did not say when the offer to meet with Kim was made. He said only that the Biden administration was increasing its efforts to reach North Korea.
Regarding Pyongyang’s lack of response to the Biden administration, Kirby said that Biden was not too concerned about it.
“We must ensure that we are prepared in every way to defend our national security, and the interests of our allies Korea and Japan,” Kirby said.
“That means we have to put more power into the areas we have, and we will definitely consider doing so again in the future if necessary.”
US calls three -way summit with Japan and South Korea historic .
“There might have been some sort of provocative act, but we don’t know what kind. It’s useless for us to worry too much about it anyway.”
During Biden’s meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol at Camp David in Maryland, the three will agree to increase their deterrence capabilities in response to North Korean aggression as well as China’s increasing military might, according to a senior official involved in preparations for the summit. That.
Source : Antara News
