Sherman: US Looks Forward to ‘Reliable, Predictable and Constructive’ Way Forward with North Korea

SEOUL - U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Friday that Washington is waiting for North Korea’s response to a proposal for resuming dialogue and looks forward to a “reliable, predictable and constructive way forward” with Pyongyang.

She made th remarks after meeting her Korean counterpart, First Vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun, in Seoul.  The U.S. special representative for North Korea, Sung Kim, offered to meet “anywhere, anytime without precondition” last month, but North Korea has not shown any interest in following up on that offer.  Sherman, the No. 2 American diplomat, was in Seoul as part of an Asia trip that will include stops in Japan and Mongolia as well as Oman. She is also scheduled to meet with China’s foreign minister, Wang Yi, and others in Tianjin, China. The trip is expected to lead to future higher-level meetings between the U.S. and China, and comes as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visits Singapore, Vietnam and the Philippines.