A senior U.S. official said on Wednesday that the United States remains ready to resume negotiations with North Korea on dismantling its nuclear weapons program.

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell made the remarks in a written statement submitted to the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on East Asia ahead of a hearing. 

Stilwell said that the U.S. remains ready to resume constructive discussions with North Korea, reaffirming the U.S.' goal is to achieve the final, fully verified denuclearization of North Korea. 

He added that the U.S. is also willing to discuss other agreements reached between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un at their first summit in Singapore in June 2018, including transforming the bilateral relationship and establishing lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.

The U.S. official, however, reiterated that sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council against North Korea remain in effect and called on the international community to continue to combat sanctions evasion attempts.

[Photo : YONHAP News]