Anchor: The nominee for U.S. secretary of state said on Tuesday that the new U.S. administration of Joe Biden plans to review the country's entire approach to North Korea. While seeking to undo many of President Donald Trump's foreign policy directions, nominee Antony Blinken acknowledged, however, that the incumbent was right in his harsh approach to China. 
Kim Bum-soo has more.

Report: Antony Blinken, President-elect Joe Biden's choice for secretary of state, says that the new U.S. government will review its entire approach to Pyongyang.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a day before Biden’s inauguration, Blinken was asked how he would deal with North Korea as well as China and Iran. 

[Sound bite: US Secretary of State Nominee Antony Blinken]
"I think we have to review, and we intend to review, the entire approach and policy toward North Korea, because this is a hard problem that has plagued administration after administration. And it's a problem that has not gotten better - in fact, it's gotten worse... "

U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reached a vague agreement for denuclearization during their first summit in Singapore in 2018. But their negotiations collapsed at the Hanoi summit the following year, leading to a stalemate for nearly two years.   

Blinken said his team will look at options that can add pressure on North Korea and make it return to the negotiating table. He added Washington will also look at other diplomatic initiatives that may be possible.  

[Sound bite: US Secretary of State Nominee Antony Blinken] 51:53
"I believe we can and we will overcome the COVID crisis, the greatest shared challenge since World War Two. We can outcompete China and remind the world that a government of the people, for the people, can deliver for its people. We can take on the existential threat posed by climate change, we can revitalize our core alliances --force multipliers of our influence around the world. Together, we are far better positioned to counter threats from Russia, Iran, North Korea, and to stand up for democracy and human rights.“

The 58-year-old former deputy secretary of state said Washington may try to find ways to get humanitarian assistance to the North and lessen the suffering of the North Korean people.

While suggesting that he might redirect the course of U.S. foreign policy driven by the current administration, Blinken also told the senate that he believes that President Trump was right in taking a tougher approach to China, although he disagrees very much with the way it was done.
Kim Bum-soo, KBS World Radio News.