US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman bumps elbows with the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong prior to their meeting at Foreign Ministry in Seoul, the ROK on July 22, 2021. (SONG KYUNG-SEOK / POOL PHOTO VIA AP)
SEOUL – The United States is hoping that the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) responds to its offer to re-open talks on denuclearization, the Republic of Korea’s (ROK) presidential office said on Thursday, citing US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
The DPRK has rebuffed proposals from the new US administration of President Joe Biden for talks, raising new doubts about prospects for pressing it to give up its nuclear weapon and missile programs
Sherman, a veteran diplomat with extensive experience in dealing with the DPRK, met President Moon Jae-in after arriving in Seoul late on Wednesday from Tokyo on her second stop on a tour of Asia.
The DPRK has rebuffed proposals from the new US administration of President Joe Biden for talks, raising new doubts about prospects for pressing it to give up its nuclear weapon and missile programs.
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“We are hoping that North Korea will respond to our offers of talks at an early stage,” Moon’s office quoted Sherman as telling the the ROK's president, who has also been trying to encourage negotiations. The DPRK is also referred to as North Korea.
Moon asked Sherman to try to re-engage with the DPRK, stressing the allies’ shared goals of complete denuclearisation and peace on the Korean peninsula, which were reaffirmed in talks with Biden in May.
Sherman called for more cooperation on other issues including climate change, Moon’s office said.
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Sherman is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with the ROK's Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun on Friday before leaving for Mongolia.