US notes 'with interest' N. Korea's recent statement hinting at openness to dialogue: official

Kim Yo Jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, attends a wreath-laying ceremony at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi, Vietnam, March 2, 2019. AP-Yonhap

WASHINGTON — A U.S. diplomat said Thursday that the United States notes "with interest" a recent statement by the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that apparently signaled Pyongyang's openness to diplomacy with Washington while rejecting any dialogue on its denuclearization.

Seth Bailey, acting deputy assistant secretary in the State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, made the remarks during a public event, referring to last week's statement by Kim Yo-jong, vice department director of the North's ruling party's Central Committee.

"We have also seen high-level statements from the DPRK leadership, including recent statements from Kim Yo-jong, which we note with interest," he said at the event that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) hosted for the family members of the troops who went missing, mostly during the 1950-53 Korean War. DPRK is short for the North's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

"Both President Trump and Republic of Korea President Lee have shown their commitment to diplomacy and engagement with North Korea," he added.

Last Tuesday, Kim, the vice department director, said that the personal relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is "not bad" -- a rare remark that apparently signaled a degree of Pyongyang's interest in engagement with the Trump administration.

However, she ruled out the possibility of talks with Washington over its nuclear program, while calling its possession of nuclear arms an "irreversible" position, and urging the U.S. to seek another way of contacting the North based on "new thinking."

At the DPAA event, more than 400 family members of the missing troops participated to get informed about the agency's worldwide mission to identify and recover the unaccounted-for.

Bailey stressed that repatriation of U.S. service members' remains is not just a diplomatic priority, but a "moral obligation."

"The United States has made clear to the North Koreans that we believe recovery of remains of U.S. service members is one of our highest priorities and bilateral goals," the diplomat said.

"This is why remains recovery features so prominently as an important pillar of President Trump's joint statement with the DPRK at the Singapore summit in June of 2018."

He was referring to the 2018 summit statement, which included Pyongyang's commitment to working toward the "complete denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula and an agreement by both sides to work together to build new bilateral relations.

The official said that the Trump administration remains committed to the principles outlined in the statement.

"Since the beginning of President Trump's second term, he has made clear his willingness to engage in negotiations with North Korea to achieve these policy goals," he said.

"The president has offered to engage Chairman Kim Jong-un on multiple occasions, including during his press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba back in February, during a White House press conference in June, and then several other media appearances when asked about his relationship with North Korea."

Commenting on the recent trade deal with South Korea, Bailey said it demonstrated the two countries' shared dedication to "modernizing" and strengthening their alliance.

"As an Indo-Pacific nation, the United States has a lasting interest in addressing the economic and security challenges of this region," he said.

"We are committed to bolstering the security of Northeast Asia, using all instruments of power to deter aggression and counter provocations, including the destabilizing actions of North Korea."