U.S. open to dialogue with North Korea, committed to its complete denuclearization: State Department spokesperson

The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea “without preconditions” and is committed to the “complete” denuclearization of the recalcitrant country, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Thursday.

The spokesperson's remarks came after Pyongyang's state media reported on Thursday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visited a newly launched nuclear material production facility earlier this week, during which he vowed to “exponentially” strengthen the country's nuclear arsenal.

“The United States remains open to dialogue with North Korea without preconditions,” the spokesperson said in response to Yonhap News Agency's request for comment. “The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea.”

The comment reaffirmed a desire by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to re-engage with North Korea amid growing concerns that Pyongyang has been doubling down on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs in the absence of diplomacy with Washington and Seoul.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency reported on Kim's visit to the nuclear material production site on Wednesday, without providing further details about the facility.

At a key party congress in February, Pyongyang reaffirmed its status as an “irreversible” nuclear-armed state, vowing to reinforce its nuclear deterrence as part of a five-year military modernization plan, though Seoul, Washington and Tokyo have reiterated their commitment to the North's denuclearization.

Yonhap