US says it offered North Korea dialogue in July but gets no response so far

ANKARA

The US special envoy for North Korea revealed on Tuesday that Washington made another offer for dialogue with Pyongyang in July, but that no response yet had been received.

Sung Kim told reporters in Seoul that the US sent its offer through a channel involving the North Korean mission at the UN in July, but Pyongyang has yet to respond despite the passage of two months, Yonhap News Agency reported.

"I believe our last communication with the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) was during the summer. We sent the message reiterating our interest in re-engagement and also re-offering our assistance in COVID-related items," Kim was quoted as saying by the media outlet.

"But I say 'no interest' (from the North) in the sense that they have not responded to any of our messages," he added.

On Sept. 9, the White House also said the US is seeking to restart diplomatic talks with North Korea after Pyongyang passed a new law that raises the specter of a nuclear confrontation.

"We continue to seek diplomacy, and are prepared to meet without preconditions," spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters, noting that the North continued to not respond to the ongoing overtures.

North Korea declared itself a nuclear weapons state after passing a new law authorizing the use of pre-emptive nuclear strikes to protect itself. The new law empowered its armed forces to use nuclear weapons if an attack with nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction was initiated or became imminent.

The US and South Korea have repeatedly offered North Korea dialogue to defuse current tensions on the Korean Peninsula, but neither has received a response.

Tension on the peninsula rose in 2020 when North Korea attacked and blew up the inter-Korean liaison office along the border. Seoul has threatened a strong response if Pyongyang "further worsens the situation."

However, tensions soared further last year when both Seoul and Pyongyang ramped up military drills to show off their might.