In a rare disclosure by North Korea last week of a uranium enrichment facility, the U.S. State Department’s second-in-command, Kurt Campbell, stated on Wednesday (September 18) that the United States will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.
During a hearing held by the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Wednesday, Deputy Secretary of State Campbell reiterated the U.S. position and emphasized that the actions being taken by North Korean leader Kim Jong Un are compromising the interests of the United States and its allies South Korea and Japan.
On September 13, North Korea uncommonly revealed a uranium enrichment facility to the outside world. This was the first time such disclosure had occurred since 2010 when North Korea showed its Yongbyon uranium enrichment facility to American nuclear scientist Siegfried Hecker. Following North Korea’s public disclosure of the uranium enrichment facility and Kim Jong Un’s vow to enhance nuclear capabilities, South Korea’s Ministry of Unification strongly condemned the move.
Regarding whether the U.S. will only engage in negotiations with North Korea after it abandons its nuclear program, Campbell emphasized Pyongyang’s reluctance to negotiate during the hearing on Wednesday.
“I just want to say that diplomatically, we are ready to sit down and engage with North Korea,” he said. “We do have some conditions. We will not accept North Korea as a nuclear-armed state.”
“I can tell you that all of our contacts are outreach. We seek to provide assistance, offer help during the COVID period. We want to open the door,” he added. “Over the past six years, we have had almost no communication with North Korea. They have chosen not to engage directly with us.”
When asked whether North Korean leader’s actions would have a detrimental impact on U.S. interests in the Indo-Pacific region, Campbell concurred.
“I want to be very clear that Kim Jong Un is taking extremely malicious actions against U.S. strategic interests, our closest allies Japan and South Korea. I don’t see any redeeming qualities in their role on the global stage,” he stated.
On the same day as the hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, North Korea also launched multiple short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast. This marked the second launch by North Korea within a week.