The White House confirmed on Monday that the administration recently reached out to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), but had not yet received a response from Pyongyang.
"I can confirm that we have reached out," White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said during a daily news briefing when asked by reporters about the matter, adding that the United States maintains a series of channels through which it is able to communicate with the DPRK.
Psaki said the administration was consulting former U.S. government officials who have been involved in DPRK policy from past administrations while also seeking input from Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK).
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki speaks during a briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S., March 15, 2021. /Reuters
She also said the United States has "not received any response" to date, stressing repeatedly that Washington's priority has been, and remains, "to reduce the risk of escalation" through diplomacy. She did not elaborate on what kind of escalation the United States is concerned about.
"You can all anticipate that there will be a continued expansion of engagement with partners and allies in the region," the press secretary told reporters.
Deputy Department Director of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea Kim Yo Jong, who is also the sister of top DPRK leader Kim Jong Un, on Tuesday said she "would like to advise the new U.S. administration that wants to give off a powder smell in Korea across the ocean."
"If you wish to sleep well for the next four years, it would be better not to create work from the start that will make you lose sleep," she said in a statement to local media.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin arrived in Tokyo on Monday, kicking off a two-leg tour to Northeast Asia that will later bring them to Seoul.
Sung Kim, acting assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told reporters last week that Blinken would discuss the DPRK nuclear issue with his Japanese and ROK counterparts during the ongoing trip.
Kim said that the U.S. commitment to seeking a complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula has not changed.
(With input from agencies)