North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he’s ready for “both dialogue and confrontation,” offering an opening for talks as U.S. President Joe Biden’s new nuclear envoy heads to the region to build support for a strategy toward Pyongyang.
The comments, made in a plenary meeting of the Central Committee of his ruling Workers’ Party of Korea on Thursday, are the first high-level suggestion of talks since Biden replaced Donald Trump, who met with Kim three times. Pyongyang has so far rebuffed Biden’s requests for dialogue and lambasted the U.S. president’s comments that were critical of North Korea’s arms buildup.
Kim also tempered the remarks with a call for the country to “get fully prepared for confrontation in order to protect the dignity of our state and its interests,” according to a Friday report from the state’s official Korean Central News Agency. The message follows a pledge from Kim made at the start of the year to develop more advanced nuclear technology.
Biden’s special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, is due to hold talks with his counterparts from South Korea and Japan on Monday during his visit, South Korea’s Foreign Ministry said.
A key part of Biden’s foreign policy has been turning to allies for support in addressing the security risks posed by the likes of China and North Korea, trying to mend relations strained by his predecessor Donald Trump and placing a greater emphasis on the Indo-Pacific region.
