A senior U.S. official has said the United States takes note “with interest” of a recent statement from Kim Yo-jong, the powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, which suggested the possibility of dialogue with the U.S. while rejecting any talks on denuclearization. 

Seth Bailey, acting deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, made the remarks Thursday during an event that the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency hosted for the families of troops who have gone missing, mostly during the Korean War.

Bailey said the U.S. has seen high-level statements from the North Korean leadership, including recent statements from Kim Yo-jong, which it notes “with interest.”

[Soundbite: Seth Bailey, acting deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs] 
"We have also seen high level statements from the DPRK leadership, including recent statements from Kim Yo-jung, which we note with interest."

Bailey, who also serves as the U.S. deputy special representative for North Korea, said the new South Korean administration has taken meaningful steps to reduce tensions on the Korean Peninsula and shown a willingness to engage North Korea. 

[Soundbite: Seth Bailey, acting deputy assistant secretary in the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs] 
"The New Rock Administration is demonstrated a willingness to engage with North Korea, taking meaningful steps to reduce tensions across the Korean peninsula."

He also stressed that the Trump administration remains committed to the principles outlined in the joint statement from the 2018 summit in Singapore between Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Bailey added that since the beginning of Trump’s second term, the U.S. president has made clear his willingness to engage in negotiations with North Korea to achieve these policy goals.

Last week, Kim Yo-jong said the personal relationship between her brother and Trump is “not bad,” but ruled out the possibility of talks on denuclearization, instead urging Washington to change its thinking and adopt a new approach to Pyongyang.