Joe Biden's envoy urges North Korea to return to talks, assures no ill intent

Hinting at possibility of resumptions of talks, US president Joe Biden’s special envoy to rth Korea said he is rey to hold talks with his rth Korean counterpart anytime soon. In a statement, talking about resumption of talks, Sung Kim said he is rey to hold talks “anywhere and at any time” as he held discussions with South Korean officials over stalled nuclear talks with rth.

Joe Biden’s rth Korean Envoy offers resumption of talks with rth Korea

Sung Kim's travel to Seoul comes amid dwindling hopes for a rapid resumption of talks and rising tensions over continuing military drills between US and South Korea. rth Korea has labelled drills as a drill for an invasion and has warned unspecified responses that will put US and South Korea in a "security crisis."

Sung Kim repeated that Biden ministration has hostile intent toward rth Korea and that joint drills are rmal and defensive in nature after meeting with top South Korean diplomat h Kyu-duk.

Kim and h told reporters that y talked about methods to make diplomacy easier, such as humanitarian cooperation with rth Korea in providing anti-virus resources, cleanliness, and safe drinking water. y me precise plans public.

Kim will also meet Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Igor Morgulov, who is also in Seoul.

“ US has aggressive intentions against (rth Korea),” Kim stated. combined military exercises between US and South Korea, he said, are "long-standing, routine, and solely defensive in character, and serve security of both our countries."

Kim stated, "I continue to stand rey to meet with my rth Korean colleague at any time and place." Since collapse of a summit between former President Donald Trump and rth Korean leer Kim Jong-Un in 2019, when Americans rejected rth's demand for a major easing of ecomic sanctions in exchange for a partial reduction of its nuclear capabilities, talks between two countries have stalled.

Kim has since pledged to bolster his country's nuclear deterrent while urging his people to stay resilient in a struggle for ecomic self-dependence in face of US pressure. His government has so far rejected Biden ministration's overtures for talks, demanding that Washington abandon its “hostile” policies first.

(With inputs from ncies)
Im: AP