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US envoy offers to meet North Korea ‘anywhere anytime’

4 years ago
4 years ago
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On Monday, the US special envoy to North Korea offered to meet with Pyongyang "at any time, without any preconditions

June 21, 2021: On Monday, the US special envoy to North Korea offered to meet with Pyongyang “at any time, without any preconditions”, without any public contact between the Biden administration and the nuclear-armed country.

Sung Kim’s remarks came after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un last week gave his first reaction to Washington’s recent review of its approach to his isolated country, saying Pyongyang must prepare for both “dialogue and confrontation”.

The Biden administration has previously promised a “practical, calibration approach”, including diplomatic efforts, to persuade the impoverished North to give up its banned nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. “We hope the DPRK will respond positively to our offer, and without any hesitation,” said Kim, referring to the North by his official name during a five-day visit to Washington’s ally South Korea. We will offer to meet anywhere at any time.”

Last week, Kim Jong Un said the country’s food situation was “tense”, which sounded the alarm in a country where a moribund agricultural sector has struggled for a long time to feed the country that is now also suffering from self-inflicted isolation and has tried to protect herself from the corona virus. On Sunday, Pyongyang’s state-run CTV reported that leader Kim and senior officials discussed “emergency measures” to deal with the country’s “current food crisis.” North Korea has long insisted it has no cases of the corona virus. This claim is doubtful to analysts.

But it has paid a heavy economic price for the self-imposed blockade. Trade with China, its sole economic lifeline, has slowed, while all international aid work is facing severe restrictions.

Envoy Kim on Monday urged UN security council members — a group which includes China — to fully implement resolutions against Pyongyang, which limit North Korean imports of oil and its exports of coal, textiles and fish, among other things.

“We will continue to implement all UN Security Council resolutions while addressing the DPRK,” he said, using the official name of the North. “We are members of the UN Security Council, especially the UN Security Council.” Members are also requested to do the same to address the threat posed to the international community by the DPRK.

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