WASHINGTON– The United States continues to seek serious dialogue with North Korea, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman reaffirmed Tuesday, amid speculation that Pyongyang may soon conduct a nuclear test.
Her remarks came in a bilateral meeting with her South Korean counterpart, Cho Hyun-dong, held in Tokyo, according to department spokesperson Ned Price.
“The deputy secretary and First Vice Foreign Minister Cho condemned the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s (DPRK) recent ballistic missile launches as reckless and destabilizing to regional and global security,” Price said of the meeting, referring to North Korea by its official name.
Pyongyang has conducted eight rounds of missile tests in less than three weeks from late September.
“Deputy Secretary Sherman reiterated that the United States’ commitment to the defense of the ROK and Japan remains ironclad, and that we continue to seek serious and sustained dialogue with the DPRK,” Price added.
ROK stands for the Republic of Korea, South Korea’s official name. Seoul officials earlier said the Cho-Sherman meeting was held at the South Korean embassy in Tokyo.
Sherman is currently on a three-day visit to the Japanese capital that began Monday. She and Cho are scheduled to take part in a trilateral meeting involving their Japanese counterpart, Takeo Mori, on Wednesday.
Her trip to Japan comes amid wide anticipation that Pyongyang may conduct its seventh nuclear test.
White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said Monday the country could conduct a nuclear test “at any time,” adding the U.S., South Korea and Japan will work to hold North Korea accountable for its provocative action should North Korea conduct its seventh nuclear test.
North Korea conducted its sixth and last nuclear test in September 2017.
Source: Yonhap News Agency