In light of North Korea's recent provocations, the United States does not see the right conditions under which it could engage in talks with Pyongyang, a White House official handling Korea affairs said Tuesday.
"Right now, we certainly do not see the right conditions in light of the provocations," Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the National Security Council, told reporters after holding a meeting with foreign ministry officials.
"We would want to see concrete movement to reduce the threat. Right now the threat is gathering," he said, referring to North Korea's recent military provocations, including a ballistic missile launch on Sunday.
Matt Pottinger, senior director for East Asia at the National Security Council (Yonhap)
"I think South Korea and the US are in alignment that North Korea's behavior is a threat to regional stability and to the security of the region and we want to make sure that only under the right conditions should some kind of talks take place," he noted.
Asked to specify the "right conditions," he only said, "We will wait to see what the right conditions are. We will know them when we see them."
Earlier Pottinger met with President Moon Jae-in and presidential and foreign ministry officials in Seoul and agreed to hold a summit between Moon and US President Donald Trump in Washington in late June.
The thorny issues involving the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system in South Korea were also discussed during the meeting, Pottinger said.
"That is a settled matter," he said, being asked about the defense system. "We look forward to continuing the conversation."
During his presidential campaign, Moon vowed to review the deployment decision made under his predecessor Park Geun-hye. Key elements of the THAAD battery were installed in the host county of Seongju last month and the initial operational capability has been achieved.
"I am happy to report that the status of the alliance is strong. I am fully confident that it's only going to grow stronger between our administrations," Pottinger added.
Touching on South Korea's recent transition of power following the impeachment of the former President Park, Pottinger said, "I really feel a sense of awe about what South Korea has achieved over the past couple of decades... South Korea makes democracy look easy.
"I have to say how impressed I am with how smooth the transition is going here. It makes me a little jealous."
Pottinger arrived in Seoul for a two-day visit on Tuesday to prepare for the first meeting between the South Korean and American leaders.
One day after taking office as president, Moon talked to Trump over the phone on Thursday to reaffirm the countries' alliance and close collaboration to denuclearize North Korea. Pottinger was dispatched to Seoul to follow up on the Moon-Trump talks.
Moon has said he will continue to seek dialogue with North Korea to resolve the security issues stemming from the North's prohibited nuclear weapons development, a clear departure from the sanctions-only approach under Park toward North Korea.
In the latest of its continuous provocations, North Korea test-fired what it claimed a new mid-to-long-range ballistic missile that can carry a large nuclear warhead on Sunday. The missile had the US mainland within its striking range, the North claimed. (Yonhap)
