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| North Korea's flag flutters next to barbed wire at the North Korean Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on March 9, 2017. (File photo by= Reuters) |
[Asia News = Reporter Reakkana] SEOUL: Including the proposed declaration of a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War, the U.S. point man on North Korea said Sunday that he looks forward to continuing exploring different options with South Korea to resume dialogue with Pyongyang.
Sung Kim, the special representative for North Korea, also reiterated Washington's willingness to help address the North's humanitarian concerns for its people in need, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic, speaking to reporters right after a meeting here with his South Korean counterpart, Noh Kyu-duk. He also called on Pyongyang to stop "provocations" and other destabilizing activities, and return to dialogue. Their talks in Seoul came after tensions resurfaced following the North's recent test-firing of a new submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM). They met in Washington last week, a sign of stepped-up diplomacy to resume dialogue with the North.
"I look forward to continuing to work with special representative Noh to explore different ideas and initiatives, including the ROK's end-of-war proposal as we continue to pursue our shared objectives on the peninsula," Kim said. ROK stands for South Korea's official name, Republic of Korea. Calling the latest SLBM test "concerning and counterproductive," he highlighted Washington's "strong commitment" to the defense of the South and exploring "sustained and substantive" diplomacy with the North.
