US envoy hopes North Korea responds positively on offered talks | World News - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

US envoy hopes North Korea responds positively on offered talks

PTI | , Seoul
Jun 21, 2021 11:52 AM IST

The trilateral talks followed a North Korean political conference last week where leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger efforts to improve his nation's economy, further battered last year by pandemic border closures and now facing worsening food shortages.

President Joe Biden's special envoy for North Korea said Monday he hopes to see a positive reaction from the North soon on US offers for talks after the North Korean leader ordered officials to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation.

North Korea's economic setbacks followed the collapse of Kim Jong Un's ambitious summitry with then-President Donald Trump in 2019.
North Korea's economic setbacks followed the collapse of Kim Jong Un's ambitious summitry with then-President Donald Trump in 2019.

Sung Kim, Biden's special representative for North Korea, is in Seoul to speak with South Korean and Japanese officials about the US' stalled diplomacy with the North over its nuclear programme and US-led sanctions.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

The trilateral talks followed a North Korean political conference last week where leader Kim Jong Un called for stronger efforts to improve his nation's economy, further battered last year by pandemic border closures and now facing worsening food shortages.

After his meeting with senior South Korean diplomat Noh Kyu-duk, the US envoy Sung Kim said the allies took note of the North Korean leader's comments and are hoping the North will give a “positive response to our proposal for a meeting soon”.

Sung Kim spoke later with Noh and Japanese nuclear envoy Takehiro Funakoshi over the stalled push to resolve the nuclear standoff with North Korea. “South Korea and the US will maintain close cooperation to keep the situation in the Korean Peninsula stable and find a way to resume the dialogue with North Korea as soon as possible,” Sung Kim told reporters.

North Korea's economic setbacks followed the collapse of Kim Jong Un's ambitious summitry with then-President Donald Trump in 2019, when the Americans rejected the North Koreans' demands for major sanctions relief in exchange for a partial surrender of their nuclear capabilities.

Kim Jong Un in recent political speeches has threatened to bolster his nuclear deterrent and claimed that the fate of diplomacy and bilateral relations depends on whether Washington abandons what he calls hostile policies.

US officials have suggested Biden would take the middle ground between Trump's direct dealings with Kim and President Barack Obama's policy of “strategic patience.” But some experts say the North likely must take concrete steps toward denuclearisation before the Biden administration would ease any sanctions.

Unlock a world of Benefits with HT! From insightful newsletters to real-time news alerts and a personalized news feed – it's all here, just a click away! - Login Now!

Get Latest World News along with Latest News from India at Hindustan Times.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On