After Pyongyang sent a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile into space on Sunday, the US issued a straightforward call to North Korea to join direct negotiations regarding its nuclear and missile programmes with no preconditions.
A senior Biden administration official told reporters, “We believe it is completely appropriate and completely correct to start having some serious discussions.”
The US has frequently sought dialogue with North Korea under Joe Biden’s leadership, but has been turned down.
Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, met with Donald Trump three times, but none of the meetings resulted in Kim’s desire for the sanctions to be lifted.
According to a Biden official, the latest North Korean test is part of an “increasingly destabilising” pattern that is in violation of UN Security Council resolutions and thus international law.
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A US official spoke out after North Korea’s largest missile test since 2017.
The launch was viewed as a step forward in the process of resuming long-range testing.
“Of course, we’re concerned,” the US official said, that Pyongyang might do so and end a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear testing.
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“It requires a response,” he said. “You will see us taking some steps that are designed to show our commitment to our allies … and at the same time we reiterate our call for diplomacy. We stand ready and we are very serious about trying to have discussions that address concerns on both sides.”
Pyongyang’s playbook of brinkmanship to gain concessions appears to have been revived with the missile fired on Sunday, which appeared to be the most powerful since Biden took office.
The missile was fired on a high trajectory, allegedly to avoid neighbouring countries’ territorial territories, reaching a maximum altitude of 2,000 kilometres (1,242 miles) and travelling 800 kilometres (497 miles) before landing in the sea, according to the Japanese and South Korean forces.
The flight details point to North Korea’s longest-range missile since 2017, when it sent two ballistic missiles over Japan and three more that had the ability to strike deep into the United States.
This month, North Korea has launched seven missiles.
(With inputs from agencies)
