The U.S. says that strategic patience is necessary in dealing with North Korea, urging the communist country to show that it is determined to produce constructive results through dialogue.

U.S. State Department Spokesman Philip Crowley said that countries have to exercise strategic patience when dealing with North Korea and the U.S. is engaged on this challenge.

He made the remarks in a regular news briefing on Friday (local time,) responding to a question about the New York Times’ report that the U.S. government led by President Barack Obama has begun moving away from strategic patience and toward engagement in its North Korea policy.

Crowley said that Washington is open to dialogue with Pyongyang, but there are definitely steps that North Korea must take to make it clear that actual face-to-face discussions would be constructive.