Biden administrator began outreach in North Korea last month, but the country is unresponsive

“To reduce the risk of escalation, we contacted the North Korean government through several channels from mid-February, including in New York,” the official said. “To date, we have not received any response from Pyongyang. This follows more than a year of no active dialogue with North Korea, despite multiple attempts by the United States to engage.”

The official did not provide further details on what the outreach entailed, but noted that the administration had conducted its interagency review of US policy toward North Korea, “including ‘assessment of all options available to deal with the growing threat posed by North Korea to its country, neighbors and the international community at large. “

During the review process, the administration consulted with former government officials with experience in North Korean politics, including some officials in the Trump administration, the official said. The United States has also been in contact with allies of Japan and South Korea.

“We look forward to completing our intensive, multi-stakeholder policy review in the coming weeks,” the official said.