The U.S. State Department has expressed concerns about the continued artillery shelling by North Korea into the East and West Sea buffer zones, but reaffirmed its commitment to engaging with the regime. 

Asked if the U.S. sees the North's shelling as an attempt to draw attention from the international community, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said on Wednesday that he would not speculate on the North's intent. 

Patel said that the shelling that the U.S. has seen this week is a serious concern, adding it is further destabilizing towards the region and has the potential for adverse impacts on the U.S.' allies and partners, in particular Japan and South Korea.

North Korea fired hundreds of artillery shots into the East and West Sea buffer zones near the border from last Friday to Wednesday afternoon in violation of the 2018 inter-Korean military agreement. 

Regarding calls for sharing nuclear weapons with South Korea, the spokesperson said that people saw President Joe Biden affirm U.S. extended deterrence and the commitment to South Korea, using the full range of U.S. defense capabilities, including nuclear, conventional and missile defense capabilities. The remarks indicate Washington's opposition to the nuclear-sharing arrangement. 
 
Meanwhile, the spokesperson reaffirmed the U.S.' commitment to diplomacy with North Korea, saying that dialogue without preconditions with the North is a key facet of the ultimate goal, which is the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.