WASHINGTON – U.S. President Joe Biden and South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday expressed a desire to engage North Korea in diplomacy in trying to reduce tensions over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs. “We both are deeply concerned about the situation,” Biden said at the start of a joint news conference with Moon, the second foreign leader to visit the White House since Biden took office. Moon said the envoy would help explore whether North Korea is willing to engage diplomatically and he hoped for a positive response from Pyongyang. North Korea thus far has rebuffed U.S. entreaties for diplomacy since Biden took over from then-President Donald Trump, who held three summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Moon welcomed what he called Biden’s realistic, pragmatic approach to North Korea and called denuclearization a top priority.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer May 21, 2021 22:18 UTC