Daniel Kritenbrink, the U.S. State Department's assistant secretary for East Asian and Pacific affairs / Yonhap

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will raise issues with regard to nuclear and missile threats posed by North Korea when he attends a regional forum next week but has no immediate plans to meet with North Korean officials there, a ranking State Department official said Friday.

Daniel Kritenbrink, assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, reiterated that the U.S. remains open to dialogue with North Korea but that Pyongyang has ignored U.S. overtures.

"I am confident that the secretary will reiterate our stance on the DPRK," Kritenbrink said in a telephoned press briefing when asked if Blinken plans to meet with North Korea officials during his trip to Indonesia where he will take part in the annual ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF), to be hosted by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Thursday.

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name. North Korea is also a member of the ARF.

"He (Blinken) will underscore the strength of our commitments, including our ironclad security commitments to our treaty allies ― the Republic of Korea and Japan," he added, referring to South Korea by its formal name. "He will underscore our determination to counter the threat posed by the North Korean nuclear and missile programs, and he will reiterate our commitment to the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

North Korea conducted more than 80 ballistic missile tests since January 2022, while also firing a space launch vehicle (SLV) in May, carrying what it has claimed was a military reconnaissance satellite, in a botched attempt.

The U.S. strongly condemned the failed launch of the claimed satellite, noting SLVs use the same technology as long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles, which the North is prohibited from developing or using under multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions.

"As has been our position from the beginning of this administration, we are open to, and I am confident the secretary will reiterate this, we are open to engagement and diplomacy with the DPRK," said Kritenbrink.

"But as you know, the only response that we have received from North Korea in that regard has been an increase in missile testing," he added. "So in the face of that, we will continue to take the steps that we need to, again to defend the United States and our treaty allies and we will, of course, continue to strictly enforce a range of U.N. Security Council resolutions and continue to implement our own sanctions designed to counter this threat."

When asked if the North Korea issue will be formally discussed at the ARF, the state department official said the U.S. and its allies will certainly raise the issue.

Given the importance of these issues in the region, "I think you can anticipate ... that the United States and others will likely raise issues," he told the press briefing. "I am not sure that I can say that North Korea is formally on the agenda." (Yonhap)