U.S. envoy: North Korea not ready for negotiations

SEOUL, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- North Korea has not yet demonstrated its commitment to substantive dialogue concerning its nuclear weapons program, a senior U.S. envoy remarked during a visit to the region.

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Policy Sung Kim met with officials in China and Japan this week to discuss developments concerning North Korea.

"I think there's very strong consensus among not just the three parties -- the U.S., Japan, and Korea -- but among the five parties including China and Russia, that North Korea needs to demonstrate its commitment to denuclearization in a concrete manner before we can resume any serious negotiations," Kim told reporters. "I think that would give us a much better chance to actually make lasting progress in denuclearization."

The U.S., he said, is prepared to engage North Korea.

"The question is not what we are willing to do, I think the question is whether the North Koreans are ready for any serious and productive discussion on the nuclear issue, and that's something that we're continuing to look for."

During his trip, Kim said he remained open and available to meet with North Korean officials. "They understood this would be an opportunity for substantive dialogue on the nuclear issues."

"Unfortunately, we are not having a meeting on this trip."