The Trump administration reiterated its commitment to a nuclear-free North Korea, saying "denuclearization must be the result of any dialogue with North Korea.”
"The United States and the world must continue to make clear that North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are a dead end," the White House statement said.
South Korea announced that its president, Moon Jae-in, met with a senior official of the North's ruling Worker's Party during the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang.
"President Moon pointed out that U.S.-North Korea dialogue must be held at an early date even for an improvement in the South-North Korea relationship and the fundamental resolution of Korean Peninsula issues," spokesman Kim Eui-kyeom said about the meeting, Yonhap News Agency reported.
A State Department official told Fox News on Sunday that the U.S. is in “close contact” with South Korea over the North.
The news of the North expressing desire in holding talks with U.S. comes days after the U.S.’s announcement of the largest package of sanctions targeting the country with the aim to force the hermit kingdom to cease its nuclear and missile programs.
The move was condemned by North Korean state media, accusing the U.S. of provoking confrontation.
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