The U.S. government sees North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs as an issue of "urgent priority," but will set no timeline for its next move, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Friday.
The new administration of President Joe Biden, who succeeded Donald Trump on Jan. 20, has pledged to carry out a review of the country's North Korea policy in its entirety, but details have yet to emerge.
Price said at a press conference that a lack of direct engagement with North Korea should not be read as an indication the matter is taking a back seat.
"The North Koreans have continued to make progress on those (nuclear and ballistic missile) programs in recent years, which makes this an urgent priority for the United States," he said.
But the spokesman emphasized that the Biden administration is working to create a "coordinated diplomatic approach, a coordinated approach to sanctions enforcement, a coordinated messaging approach," which he says will position Washington to address the challenge from "a position of strength."
"So I wouldn't want to put a timeline on when you might see the next step in this process, but please know that that coordination is ongoing. It is very active," he added.
Trump engaged in unprecedented summit diplomacy with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, meeting him three times in 2018 and 2019 in hopes of convincing the country to give up its pursuit of nuclear weapons.
But negotiations made little progress during Trump's four years in the White House, with the two countries at odds over issues such as the degree of sanctions relief Pyongyang should receive for denuclearization steps.
