The U.S. State Department says that Washington supports inter-Korean talks about the Olympics but it is not the right time to hold direct dialogue with the North. 

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said during a news briefing on Thursday that the U.S. would certainly support those kinds of contacts and conversations, referring to the ongoing inter-Korean contact over the upcoming Winter Olympics.

The spokeswoman added that it's good to have conversations, and the U.S. supports and looks forward to having a terrific Olympics in Korea.

But on the potential for direct talks on the North's denuclearization, she said that it is not the right time yet. 

She added that North Korea knows it has to be serious about denuclearization and the U.S. is not seeing that.