US Open to Dialogue with North Korea Without Preconditions: State Dept.
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, June 4 (Yonhap) -- The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea "without preconditions," and committed to the "complete" denuclearization of the recalcitrant country, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday.
The spokesperson's remarks came after Pyongyang's state media reported Thursday (Seoul time) that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a newly launched nuclear material production facility earlier this week, vowing to "exponentially" strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal.
"The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea without preconditions," the spokesperson said in response to Yonhap News Agency's request for comment. "The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea."
The comment reaffirmed a desire by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to reengage with North Korea amid growing concerns that Pyongyang has been doubling down on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in the absence of diplomacy with Washington and Seoul.
The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported on Kim's visit to the nuclear material production site on Wednesday, without providing further details about the facility.
At a key party congress in February, Pyongyang reaffirmed its status as an "irreversible" nuclear-armed state, vowing to reinforce its nuclear deterrence as part of a five-year military modernization plan, though Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have reiterated their commitment to the North's denuclearization.
