"We have made clear to [North Korea] that we are prepared to meet, to engage in principled negotiations, anytime, anywhere, any place. I don’t have an update for you when it comes to any North Korean response to those offers, but the offer certainly stands," Price said during a press briefing.
Price also confirmed the State Department is aware of reports that North Korea resumed operations at its primary nuclear reactor facility in Yongbyon in July. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) published a report on August 30 that North Korea resumed its plutonium production at Yongbyon.
Price said that the US government is working with partners on addressing this development and the IAEA report underscores the urgent need for dialogue and diplomacy between the United States and North Korea in order to achieve the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.