White House says comments by North Korea’s leader are ‘interesting signal’
The United States on Sunday said it saw as an “interesting signal” North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s comments this week saying he is ready for “dialogue and confrontation” but that Washington was still waiting for direct communication from Pyongyang to start talks toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
“His comments this week we regard as an interesting signal and we will wait to see whether they are followed up with any kind of more direct communication to us about a potential path forward,” US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an ABC News interview.
For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.
“What President Biden has communicated is that the United States is prepared to engage in principled negotiations with North Korea to deal with the challenge of North Korea’s nuclear program toward the ultimate objective of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula,” Sullivan said in the interview.
Kim ordered his government to prepare for “both dialogue and confrontation” with the United States, state news media reported on Friday, in his first reaction to the Biden administration’s new North Korea policy.
Read more:
North Korea's Kim Jong Un opens congress with policy failures admission
US President Biden has no intention of meeting North Korea's Kim Jong Un: White House
Kim Jong Un plans to stabilize N. Korean economy: State media