U.S. envoy urges N.Korea to end 'provocations', accept offer of talks

U.S. Special Representative for North Korea, Sung Kim and Noh Kyu-duk, South Korea's Special Representative for Korean Peninsula Peace and Security Affairs, attend a briefing after their meeting at a hotel in Seoul, South Korea October 24, 2021. Ahn Young-joon/Pool via REUTERS

SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea's recent ballistic missile tests https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/nkorea-says-it-conducted-successful-missile-test-submarine-kcna-2021-10-19 were "concerning and counterproductive" for efforts to reduce tensions, and Pyongyang should instead engage in talks, the U.S. envoy for North Korea said on Sunday.

Speaking to reporters after meeting with his South Korean counterpart in Seoul, Special Representative Sung Kim https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/us-nuclear-envoy-visits-skorea-amid-nkorea-missile-tension-stalled-talks-2021-10-23 said the United States is committed to exploring "sustained and substantive diplomacy" with North Korea.