US special representative for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Sung Kim arrives at Incheon International Airport in Incheon, the Republic of Korea (ROK) on June 19, 2021. Sung Kim arrived in the ROK on Saturday for talks over stalled nuclear diplomacy with the DPRK. (IM HOEN-JUNG / YONHAP VIA AP)
SEOUL – The United States' new top envoy for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) said on Monday he looks forward to a "positive response soon" on dialogue from the DPRK, the Republic of Korea's (ROK) Yonhap news agency reported, during his Seoul trip to meet counterparts from the ROK and Japan.
US special representative for the DPRK Sung Kim is in the ROK for a five-day visit, amid an impasse in denuclearization talks with Pyongyang, with no word of any planned efforts to contact the DPRK.
The United States' new top envoy for the DPRK Sung Kim, who doubles as ambassador to Indonesia, had back-to-back meetings scheduled with the ROK's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, as well as a trilateral session involving his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi
"We will be prepared for either, because you know, we are still waiting to hear back from Pyongyang for a meeting," he said. "Hopefully dialogue indicates that we will get a positive response soon."
Kim, who doubles as ambassador to Indonesia, had back-to-back meetings scheduled with the ROK's top nuclear envoy, Noh Kyu-duk, as well as a trilateral session involving his Japanese counterpart, Takehiro Funakoshi.
Noh and Funakoshi were also scheduled to have a bilateral meeting to discuss the DPRK.
Kim's appointment came after US President Joe Biden's administration conducted a review of the DPRK policy that concluded the United States would seek to find practical ways of inducing Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons.
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In his first direct comments on Biden's administration, which took office in January, the DPRK leader Kim Jong-un urged preparation for both dialogue and confrontation with the United States, particularly the latter, state news agency KCNA said on Friday.
The United States said on Sunday it saw Kim's comments as an "interesting signal," but added that Washington was still waiting for direct communication from Pyongyang to start any talks relating to denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"His comments this week we regard as an interesting signal. And we will wait to see whether they are followed up with any kind of more direct communication to us about a potential path forward," National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview with ABC News.
He reaffirmed that the Biden administration is prepared to engage in "principled negotiations" with Pyongyang to deal with its nuclear program, with the ultimate objective of the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
The Biden administration at the end of April completed its policy review toward the DPRK. The White House said it had reached out to Pyongyang through several channels but had not yet received any response.
Kim and former US president Donald Trump held their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, agreeing on a complete denuclearization of and a lasting peace settlement on the Korean Peninsula.
READ MORE: KCNA: Kim chaired meeting on boosting DPRK's armed forces
Denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington have been stalled since the second Kim-Trump summit ended without agreement in February 2019 in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi.