U.S. Tells North Korea to Stop Provoking and Return to Diplomacy

Amid North Korea’s test-firing of a new strategic cruise missile on the 24th, the U.S. government repeatedly called for North Korea to ‘return to diplomacy’.

In a regular briefing on the 24th (local time), Vedant Patel, Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the Department of State, responded to the question, “What do you see as the intention of North Korea’s missile provocation, given that North Korea has fired several cruise missiles?” by saying, “While we will not speculate on North Korea’s intentions, to take a step backward we urge North Korea to cease further provocative actions and return to diplomacy.”

“The United States has no hostile intent towards North Korea and it needs to remember that we have made it very clear that we are open to diplomacy without preconditions,” he added.

In response to the question, ‘The U.S. always says that, but North Korea has blocked all channels of dialogue between North and South Korea. So what kind of dialogue can the U.S. specifically have with North Korea?’, Patel said, “We are actively engaged in substantive discussions to explore ways to achieve not only the enduring goal of denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula but also to create lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula beyond military risk management. We reiterate that we are open to unconditional dialogue with North Korea on these issues.”

In response to the question, ‘Do you think North Korea’s recent actions are related to South Korea’s general election in April or the U.S. presidential elections in November?’, he said, “What I can say is that such activities are destabilizing and dangerous. We repeatedly urge North Korea to return to diplomacy.”

“We are prepared to engage with them on several core issues and at the same time, we will closely cooperate on ways to deter North Korea and strengthen our alliances with South Korea and Japan in the region,” he added.

When asked to elaborate on Russia’s recent statement that North Korea’s ballistic missiles used in Ukraine provide valuable technical and military insights into North Korea, Patel, the principal deputy spokesperson, avoided a direct answer.

Instead, he stated, “President Putin of Russia is ready to benefit from relations with North Korea by securing not only ballistic missiles to be used in Ukraine but also shells. This is a matter of concern for us, and we are also monitoring the advanced military capabilities that North Korea is pursuing.”