This photo, on Thursday, shows the North's leader Kim Jong-un (left) attending the ninth plenary meeting of the eighth Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea the previous day. (KCNA)
The United States has "no hostile intent" toward Pyongyang and remains committed to diplomacy, a State Department spokesperson said Thursday, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un called for beefed-up war preparations.
During a plenary session of the ruling Workers' Party on Wednesday, Kim made the call, pointing to the security situation on the Korean Peninsula that he claimed has become "extremely dangerous" due to "unprecedented" US-led confrontational moves against the North.
"The United States harbors no hostile intent toward the DPRK," the spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency via email, referring to the North by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "The United States has been very clear -- we seek dialogue with Pyongyang without preconditions."
The official stressed that Washington remains committed to diplomacy even as the North has launched an "unprecedented" number of ballistic missiles.
"We have also been clear that we will seek to cooperate on humanitarian issues, regardless of the status of WMD and missile-related discussions," the official said. WMD stands for weapons of mass destruction.
The spokesperson also criticized North Korea's bellicose rhetoric.
"The DPRK has engaged in threatening and irresponsible rhetoric regarding its weapons programs, including by characterizing some of its missile launches and other military activities as trial runs for the use of tactical nuclear weapons," the official said.
"We continue to consult closely with the Republic of Korea, Japan and other allies and partners about how to best engage the DPRK, deter aggression and coordinate international responses to the DPRK's violations of multiple UN Security Council resolutions," the official added.
Pyongyang has been ratcheting up tensions with its spy satellite launch last month and that of a solid-fuel intercontinental ballistic missile this month.
The moves have seen Seoul, Washington and Tokyo tightening their security cooperation, which culminated in the launch of a trilateral system for the real-time sharing of North Korean missile warning data last week. (Yonhap)
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