U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun said diplomacy is still alive with Pyongyang despite a failed summit last month, but that Washington is closely watching activity at a North Korean rocket site in Dongchang-ri.   

Biegun made the remarks on Monday at a nuclear conference hosted by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace think tank in Washington. 

The U.S. envoy was cautious to interpret the recent reports of increased activity at North Korea's missile facilities following the summit.

Biegun said he doesn't know what message North Korea is trying to send, but that Washington has sent its message loud and clear from President Donald Trump that it wouldn't be a productive step for the North to test a rocket or missile.

He also stressed that the U.S. will not settle for "incremental" denuclearization, calling on Pyongyang to completely agree on the removal of weapons of mass destruction.

The top envoy said he was not bound by an artificial calendar, but that the Trump administration wants to accomplish the North's denuclearization by the end of Trump's term in January 2021.

He added the U.S. remains open to talking to North Korea despite the breakdown of the Hanoi summit, saying diplomacy is still very much alive and the two sides remain engaged.

[Photo : KBS News]