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WASHINGTON -- The United States is prepared to meet with North Korea without any pre-conditions, a State Department spokesperson said Monday.
The US official made the remark when asked if the US will be willing to consider easing sanctions on the impoverished North.
"We are prepared to meet with the DPRK without preconditions, and of course, we certainly hope that the DPRK will respond positively to our outreach," said Jalina Porter, principal deputy spokesperson for the State Department.
DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the North's official name.
During a telephonic press briefing, the deputy spokesperson again emphasized the need for dialogue between the US and North Korea when asked if the US will also be willing to consider declaring a formal end to the Korean War.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in earlier proposed the US and the two Koreas, possibly together with China, declare a formal end to the 1950-53 war as a way of promoting peace and denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
"Again, you've heard us say this from here and I think it's worth underscoring that our goal remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," added Porter.
North Korea remains unresponsive to US outreaches despite repeated offers from the Joe Biden administration to meet "anytime, anywhere without preconditions."
Pyongyang has stayed away from denuclearization talks since early 2019.
The US official' remark also comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's sister, Kim Yo-jong, said her country could consider declaring a formal end to the war, as well as holding an inter-Korean summit, if South Korea treated North Korea with impartiality and mutual respect.
Porter said the US supports inter-Korean dialogue.
"What I can see from here is that ... the United States certainly supports inter Korean dialogue, as well as engagement and cooperation," she said. (Yonhap)
