WH: Biden won’t hold direct talks with Kim Jong Un, experts warn China will take over Korean affairs if U.S. fails to open direct talks
North Korea’s leader Kim Jong Un before a meeting with US President Donald Trump on the south side of the Military Demarcation Line that divides North and South Korea, in the Joint Security Area (JSA) of Panmunjom in the Demilitarized zone (DMZ) on June 30, 2019. (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images)
OAN Newsroom
UPDATED 6:45 PM PT – Monday, March 29, 2021
Joe Biden rejected the possibility of direct diplomacy with North Korea, which experts said may further embolden China. On Monday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden has not planned to meet with Kim Jong Un to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
.@PressSec on whether Biden would meet with Kim Jong Un: pic.twitter.com/FcxE76wc8Y
— William Gallo (@GalloVOA) March 29, 2021
Psaki said Biden’s approach to North Korea would be different, but she did not provide more details. Experts noted the only alternative to talking to North Korea would be to ask China to handle the matter.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) shakes hands with Fmr US Vice President Joe Biden (L) inside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on December 4, 2013. (Photo credit should read LINTAO ZHANG/AFP via Getty Images)
Meanwhile, according to reports, Pyongyang is advancing its ballistic missile program with a series of recent test launches.
“Now that [Biden] said that he is ‘prepared for some formal diplomacy’ with North Korea,’ does this include sitting with President Kim Jong Un?” asked a reporter.
“I think his approach would be quite different,” Psaki claimed in response. “This is not his intention. Thank you.”
In the meantime, North Korea said it sees the Biden administration as a threat to its political and economic wellbeing. This is a far cry from the peaceful development plan once proposed by President Trump.