The United States calls on North Korea to engage in dialogue, the republic's missile and weapons programs are increasingly destabilizing regional security. This was announced on Thursday, December 2, by the head of the Pentagon, Lloyd Austin.
"The DPRK continues to strengthen missile and weapons programs, which increasingly destabilizes regional security," Austin said during a press conference broadcast by Fox News.
According to him, the United States calls on North Korea to engage in dialogue. At the same time, the head of the Pentagon added that the best way to achieve complete denuclearization of the peninsula is a diplomatic approach towards the DPRK.
Earlier, on November 17, First Deputy Secretary of State of the United States Wendy Sherman said that Washington, Seoul and Tokyo were in favor of resolving the DPRK nuclear issue. According to her, the United States is also consulting with its allies on the idea of preparing a declaration proclaiming the end of the war on the Korean peninsula.
On October 21, the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement that the submarine's ballistic missile test was not directed against the United States. Pyongyang noted that Washington should not "worry or suffer" because of the past tests, as the DPRK "uses its right to defense."
On October 13, a representative of Pyongyang at a meeting of the First Committee of the UN General Assembly said that the country would not abuse its nuclear arsenal if there were no attempts by unfriendly states to use nuclear weapons against the republic. He added that North Korea complies with its obligations under the nuclear nonproliferation regime.
After the DPRK announced the creation of nuclear weapons in February 2005, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1718 in 2006, condemning this nuclear weapons test. By the decision of the UN Security Council, an embargo was imposed on the supply of materials, equipment and a number of weapons to the DPRK that could be used to develop the country's nuclear program. The last time the UN Security Council tightened sanctions against the DPRK's nuclear program was in 2017.
