“To reduce the risks of escalation, we reached out to the North Korean government through several channels, which began in mid-February, including in New York,” the official said. “To date, we have not received a response from Pyongyang. This follows more than a year without active talks with North Korea, despite numerous US efforts to get involved.”
The official did not provide further details on what the outreach entailed, but noted that the administration was investigating between the government of the United States’ policy towards North Korea, “including evaluating all available options to the increasing North Korea’s threat to its neighbors and the wider international community. ‘
During the review process, the administration consulted with former government officials with experience in North Korean policy, including some officials from the Trump administration, the official said. The US also had contacts with allies from Japan and South Korea.
“We look forward to completing our intensive policy review with more stakeholders in the coming weeks,” the official said.
Satellite images obtained by CNN reveal that North Korea recently took steps to conceal a facility used by U.S. intelligence agencies to store nuclear weapons.