US President Joe Biden’s special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim said that Washington DC has no hostile intent toward Pyongyang and is open to meeting any time and any place.
Sung Kim arrived in Seoul on Saturday for a four-day visit.
Talks between the United States and North Korea have stalled since the collapse of a summit between former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in 2019, when the Americans rejected the North’s demand for a major easing of economic sanctions in exchange for a partial reduction of its nuclear capabilities.Kim has since pledged to bolster his country’s nuclear deterrent while urging his people to stay resilient in a struggle for economic self-dependence in the face of US pressure. His government has so far rejected the Biden administration’s overtures for talks, demanding that Washington abandon its hostile policies first.
After meeting with senior South Korean diplomat Noh Kyu-duk, Kim told the reporters that the Biden administration has no hostile intent toward North Korea and that the joint drills are routine and defensive in nature.
“The United States does not have hostile intention for North Korea,” Mr. Kim said. He said the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises are “long-standing, routine and purely defensive in nature and support the security of both our countries.” “I continue to stand ready to meet with my North Korean counterpart at anywhere and at any time,” Mr. Kim added.
Sung Kim’s visit to Seoul comes amid declining expectations for a quick resumption of talks and new tensions over ongoing U.S.-South Korean military exercises. North Korea has described the exercises as a rehearsal for an invasion and has threatened unspecified countermeasures that would cause a ‘security crisis’ for the US and South Korea.
The atmosphere for diplomacy reached a new low when Kim Jong Un’s sister released a statement stating that the security drills were a perfect example of US hostile policy towards North Korea and that Pyongyang will continue strengthening it’s pre-emptive strike capabilities.
“The United States does not have hostile intention for North Korea,” Mr. Kim said. He said the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises are “long-standing, routine and purely defensive in nature and support the security of both our countries.” “I continue to stand ready to meet with my North Korean counterpart at anywhere and at any time,” Mr. Kim added.
