The U.S. State Department has again stated its commitment to diplomacy and dialogue with North Korea after leader Kim Jong-un ordered the military to accelerate war preparations and stressed a tough stance on South Korea and the U.S. 

Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Wednesday during a press briefing that Washington would still welcome diplomatic talks with Pyongyang as the U.S. believes this would be the “most preferred route” to achieve the full denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Miller said that direct communication will continue to be the U.S.' policy on North Korea, but that there is no indication that the North Korean government is willing to engage in dialogue.

Kim recently made a significant shift in the North’s policy towards South Korea and the United States, declaring an end to efforts for reconciliation and reunification. 

Wrapping up five days of a major year-end party meeting last Saturday, Kim redefined inter-Korean relations as a relationship between two hostile countries and two belligerents at war.