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WASHINGTON: North Korea’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs are an urgent priority for the United States, and Washington remains committed to denuclearizing the country, the US State Department said on Friday (February 12).
The Biden administration’s lack of direct engagement with North Korea should not be seen as an indication that the challenge posed by its weapons programs was not a priority, department spokesman Ned Price said.
“Indeed, it is,” he said at a regular briefing.
North Korea continued to advance its nuclear and missile programs in recent years “which makes this an urgent priority for the United States and one that we are committed to addressing together with our allies and partners,” Price said.
“And … the central premise is that we remain committed to the denuclearization of North Korea,” he said.
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Price said the lack of direct engagement to date was “a function of us making sure we have done diplomatic work, that we have been in close contact with our partners and allies,” with the goal of a coordinated approach.
The Biden administration, which took office last month, says it is conducting a full review of North Korea’s policy in consultation with allies, particularly South Korea and Japan, following the unprecedented engagement of former President Donald Trump. with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, who failed to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
A confidential UN report seen by Reuters on Monday said North Korea developed its nuclear and ballistic missile programs throughout 2020 in violation of international sanctions, helping to fund them with some $ 300 million stolen through of cyberattacks.
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President Joe Biden’s top Asia official, Kurt Campbell, has said the administration must decide quickly how to approach North Korea and not repeat an Obama-era delay that led to “provocative” steps by Pyongyang that impeded engagement. .
Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who discussed North Korea with his South Korean counterpart on Thursday, has said that additional sanctions could be used in coordination with allies to pressure North Korea to denuclearize.
Biden called Kim a “bully” during his election campaign and said he would only meet with him “on the condition that he agrees that he would reduce his nuclear capacity to get there.”
