The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden is not about to change its longstanding North Korea policy and will continue to focus on deterrence and stronger ties with Asian allies, a senior White House official said, despite North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s unprecedented barrage of missile tests in recent months.
The U.S. is "always examining our assumptions” about North Korea but believes "the course that we’ve been on has been effective and prudent,” White House Indo-Pacific Coordinator Kurt Campbell told reporters Tuesday.
"It’s undeniable that North Korea is one of the most challenging issues on the global stage,” Campbell said on the sidelines of the Trans-Pacific Dialogue conference in Virginia hosted by South Korea’s Chey Institute. "Our best approach is to ensure that we are, in fact, in lockstep with our allies and partners and we’re going to continue with that.”