The United States has reiterated that it will never recognize North Korea as a nuclear state in accordance with U.S. policy.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price issued the position on Monday during a press briefing in response to a question about whether such recognition by the U.S. is a possibility.

Price said it is “not the U.S. policy” and does not foresee it ever becoming a policy, even after recent comments by U.S. undersecretary of arms control Bonnie Jenkins regarding potential arms control talks with Pyongyang.

Price said that the U.S.' North Korea policy remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and Washington remains open to dialogue with Pyongyang without any preconditions.