Politics

White House Confirms North Korea Is Snubbing Outreach From Biden Administration

(Screenshot/Fox Business)

Anders Hagstrom White House Correspondent
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President Joe Biden’s administration has reached out to North Korea but the regime has yet to respond, White House press secretary Jen Psaki confirmed Monday.

Psaki did not detail exactly when the administration first attempted to reach out to North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un. Former President Donald Trump made great efforts to meet and negotiate with North Korea, though the results from the meets were unclear. Reuters first reported Biden’s outreach attempt Saturday.

“I can confirm that we have reached out,” Psaki said, clarifying that no response has come. “This follows over a year without active dialogue with North Korea, despite multiple attempts by the U.S. to engage.” (RELATED: North Korea Ignores Biden Administration’s Multiple Communication Requests)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pens a letter to all people on New Year's day in this photo supplied by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on December 31, 2020. KCNA/via REUTERS

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pens a letter to all people on New Year’s day in this photo supplied by North Korea’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Dec. 31, 2020. (KCNA/via REUTERS)

The U.S. has long had tensions with North Korea over its attempts to develop ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. Psaki said the U.S. has reached out through multiple channels and the attempts are ongoing.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan are set to meet with their counterparts in Japan and South Korea in the coming days. The pair is also meeting with Chinese officials in Anchorage, Alaska, early this week. Psaki said it was important that the Biden administration’s first in-person meeting with Chinese officials take place on American soil.