The Voice of America (VOA) reported on the 17th that the U.S. White House expressed support for the possibility of holding a summit between North Korea and Japan.
According to the media, the White House dismissed any concerns that Japan's involvement in North Korea would cause a rift in cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan.
Regarding the trend toward the Japan-North Korea summit, the White House confirmed its position that it does not oppose allies' involvement in North Korea.
In a written interview with VOA, a spokesperson for the National Security Council (NSC) quoted Mira Rapp-Hooper, White House Senior Director for Asia and Oceania, saying, "We do," when asked, "Do we support allies engaging with North Korea?" reminded.
“We ourselves remain open to diplomacy with North Korea,” the spokesperson added. “If our close partners are planning to engage with North Korea, we look forward to discussions between us.”
Regarding the possibility of a crack in the cooperation between Korea, the United States, and Japan due to involvement with North Korea, he added, “There are no concerns about the cooperation between the three countries,” and “It is strong.”
Previously, Senior Director Hooper attended the '2nd Anniversary of the Indo-Pacific Strategy Announcement' debate hosted by the U.S. Institute of Peace on the 15th and responded to a question about the 'possibility of a summit between Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and North Korean State Affairs Commission Chairman Kim Jong-un' by saying, "The United States or its partners will not support North Korea." “If we determine that there is a desire and reason to engage, we will support, cooperate, and consult with each other,” he said.
The U.S. State Department also mentioned the importance of engagement with North Korea in response to a related question from VOA on this day.
A State Department spokesperson responded, “Please ask the Japanese government about diplomatic engagement between Japan and North Korea,” but added, “We have been very clear about the importance of dialogue and diplomacy with North Korea.”
Previously, North Korea's Vice-Minister of the Workers' Party Kim Yo-jong said in a statement published on the Korean Central News Agency on the 15th, "If Japan makes a political decision to open a new way to improve relations, the two countries can open a new future together." This revealed the possibility of a North Korea-Japan summit.
0 Comments