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US official says North Korea did not respond to request for dialogue because of COVID-19

Earlier, US President Joe Biden said that he had proposed to provide a vaccine to Pyongyang.

During his first visit to Asia as president, Mr. Biden is in South Korea and this afternoon will travel to Japan.

During a meeting with the new South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on May 21, Biden promised to increase efforts to prevent the threat from North Korea, but also confirmed he was open to dialogue, including the possibility of meeting leader Kim Jong Un if necessary. Biden also said that he had offered to provide a vaccine to Pyongyang but received no response.

North Korea claims the US actions are not sincere because it maintains “many hostile policies”, such as exercises and sanctions.

When asked if Mr. Biden was willing to take concrete steps to break the current impasse, the official said the US administration was looking for serious communication, not pompous gestures. .

“This is a decision that only North Korea can make,” the official said.

The focus of Mr. Biden’s trip this time is to bring together “like-minded” countries to cooperate more, to deal with China’s growing influence and put more pressure on Russia. because of the military campaign in Ukraine.

When he goes to Tokyo, Mr. Biden will meet with the prime ministers of Japan, India and Australia under the framework of the “Quad”, to further step up efforts to deal with China.

The South Korean president has expressed interest in closer cooperation with the “Quad”, but a US official said the group has not yet considered admitting Seoul.

“It is natural to think of ways to cooperate with like-minded countries, but I think it is also very important to realize that the goal now is to develop and build on what has been said. out,” said the official.

On this occasion, Tokyo will celebrate the unveiling of the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), a program designed to bind countries in the region more closely by common standards in key areas. areas such as supply chain resilience, clean energy, infrastructure and digital commerce.

The US official declined to say which countries would join the IPEF, but insisted Washington was satisfied with the “strong interest” in the region.

According to Reuters

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