Despite a growing reluctance surrounding North Korea’s readiness for dialogue, the U.S. remains devoted to pursuing diplomatic talks with the East Asian nation, a State Department official has confirmed.

Miller said during a press briefing, “We will continue to encourage diplomacy with North Korea. That has been our policy all along.”

He also recognized that Campbell’s skepticism “is well founded” given North Korea’s consistent denial of the diplomatic alternatives proposed by the present U.S. administration.

See Also: 

Why It Matters: Campbell, also the coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs at the National Security Council, underscored the necessity to concentrate “even more” on deterrence during his hearing last week. This comes on the heels of last month’s declaration by Kim Yo-jong, sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, dismissing the idea of resuming dialogue with the U.S.

Campbell stated that North Korea has rebuffed all efforts from the U.S. to hold discussions about the former’s progress in missile and nuclear programs.

The situation is further compounded by North Korea’s recent satellite launch, which has been criticized by Seoul, Washington, and other nations as a breach of multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions prohibiting ballistic missile technology use.

Read Next: Kevin Mccarthy Believes America Doesn’t Desire Trump’s Retribution: ‘It Can’t Be About Revenge’

Photo Via Shutterstock