US President Joe Biden is ready to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in direct talks about the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, bypassing any preconditions, according to a senior White House official.
“They have not responded positively to that offer, but it’s still on the table. We are willing to sit down and negotiate without preconditions,” White House national security spokesman John Kirby told Japanese media.
This announcement came just ahead of Friday’s trilateral summit, where Biden will meet the leaders of Japan and South Korea.
One of the central issues on the agenda will be North Korea’s rapid advancement in nuclear and missile capabilities.
The revelation of the potential high-level meeting, shared by Kirby without specifying the exact timing of the offer, signals a renewed effort by the Biden administration to establish communication with North Korea.
Mira Rapp-Hooper, the National Security Council’s senior director for East Asia, disclosed that recent weeks have intensified attempts to bring North Korea to the negotiating table.
This effort has been further motivated by an incident involving a US soldier stationed in South Korea who crossed into North Korea without authorization a month ago.
Regarding North Korea’s lack of response, Kirby explained, “But absent that, and thus far he has shown no interest in that, we’ve got to make sure that we are ready in every other respect to defend our national security interests and those of our Korean and Japanese allies.”
Kirby also mentioned the possibility of increased regional capability: “That means putting more capability in the region which we have, and we will certainly consider doing that again in the future if we have to.”
However, Kirby emphasized that while there could be unpredictable actions, speculating too much on the matter wouldn’t be productive.
He stated, “there could be some sort of provocative action, but we just don’t know what that’s going to look like and it wouldn’t be a good use of our time in worrying too much about that.”
Poor Relations with North Korea
Diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea remain absent, although Kim’s government maintains a UN mission in New York.
Despite attempts by the Biden administration to establish direct communication earlier this year, the Kim regime made clear it was not keen.
Markus Garlauskas, who heads the Indo-Pacific Security Initiative at the Atlantic Council, told USA Today that North Korea is currently adopting a confrontational stance and intensifying its efforts in developing nuclear and missile technologies.
North Korea’s demands include the cessation of U.S. military exercises in the region and the removal of sanctions linked to its nuclear and missile programs.
However, even if the U.S. were to comply with these demands, Garlauskas believes that North Korea would persist in expanding its weapons programs.
This contradicts the narrative presented by North Korea in 2018, when they suggested the potential for denuclearization and a more receptive attitude towards dialogue.
US Citizens Detained in North Korea
Biden also faces challenges in securing the release of detained Americans from hostile nations, particularly focusing on the case of Pvt. 2nd Class Travis King who crossed into North Korea and was taken into custody in July.
This incident highlights the difficulties Biden’s administration faces in negotiating for the release of detainees due to North Korea’s history of leveraging detainees for concessions.
Trump secured the release of American detainees from North Korea through diplomatic engagement.
At the same time, Biden has also relied on prisoner swaps to bring detained Americans home.
From the Vault
‘You Really Oughta Go Home’: F-22 Raptor Stealth Fighter Flew Under F-4 From Iran
