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

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

Joe Biden’s North Korean Envoy offers resumption of talks with North 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 the US and South Korea. North Korea has labelled the drills as a drill for an invasion and has warned unspecified responses that will put the US and South Korea in a "security crisis."

Sung Kim repeated that the Biden administration has no hostile intent toward North Korea and that the joint drills are normal and defensive in nature after meeting with top South Korean diplomat Noh Kyu-duk.

Kim and Noh told reporters that they talked about methods to make diplomacy easier, such as humanitarian cooperation with North Korea in providing anti-virus resources, cleanliness, and safe drinking water. They made no precise plans public.

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

“The US has no aggressive intentions against (North Korea),” Kim stated. The combined military exercises between the US and South Korea, he said, are "long-standing, routine, and solely defensive in character, and serve the security of both our countries."

Kim stated, "I continue to stand ready to meet with my North Korean colleague at any time and place." Since the collapse of a summit between former President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in 2019, when the Americans rejected the North's demand for a major easing of economic sanctions in exchange for a partial reduction of its nuclear capabilities, talks between the 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 economic self-dependence in the face of US pressure. His government has so far rejected the Biden administration's overtures for talks, demanding that Washington abandon its “hostile” policies first.

(With inputs from Agencies)
Image: AP