President Joe Biden said that he is open to diplomacy with North Korea but warned that recent missile tests violated international rules and could prompt a response if Pyongyang continues.
“There will be responses if they choose to escalate,” Biden said Thursday at a Whtie House news conference. “We will respond accordingly.”
North Korea fired its first ballistic missiles in a year this week, posing an early challenge to Biden’s policy toward the nuclear power.
With the missile test, Kim Jong Un is following a longstanding playbook of feeling out new U.S. presidents in an effort to put North Korea’s interests on the agenda of policy makers in Washington.
The North Korean leader made clear in talks with former President Donald Trump that he’s open to rolling back parts of his nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief, but won’t entertain giving up the weapons entirely.
