SUNG KIM’S MESSAGE TO N. KOREA

[Anchor Lead]

During his visit to Seoul, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim has sent a clear message to North Korea. Kim said he looks forward to a positive response from Pyongyang regarding Washington's proposal to meet "anywhere, anytime, without preconditions."

[Pkg]

In trilateral talks in Seoul with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Sung Kim placed priority on holding a meeting with North Korea. The three countries' top nuclear envoys held talks for the first time since the Biden administration took office. Through a series of public remarks, Sung Kim consistently stressed that he hopes the North will positively respond to the U.S. government's proposal to meet without conditions.

[Soundbite] Sung Kim(U.S. Special Representative for North Korea)

The U.S. representative delivered the message in a more obvious rhetoric, as Pyongyang has not yet responded to Washington's earlier proposal to explain its North Korea policy in a meeting. Regarding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's call for preparations for both dialogue and confrontation in dealing with the U.S., Sung Kim said Washington will also be prepared for both. But he hoped the North Korean leader's reference to dialogue indicates a positive response.

[Soundbite] Sung Kim(U.S. Special Representative for North Korea)

By highlighting the U.S.' determination to stick to UN Security Council resolutions, the envoy made it clear that the current sanctions on the regime will remain unchanged. The key agenda for the three-way meeting, which lasted for nearly five hours, was how to bring the North back to dialogue. But the discussions' details were not revealed. The U.S. special representative today met with National Security Director Suh Hoon and Unification Minister Lee In-young as well as South Korean experts to discuss the recently concluded U.S. policy review on North Korea.