US deputy secretary of state says North Korea 'squandered' opportunity to improve relations

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North Korea marks the 75th anniversary of Worker's Party with a massive military parade.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun Thursday said North Korea “squandered” opportunities to engage with the United States and improve relations.

“Regrettably, much opportunity has been squandered by our North Korean counterparts over the past two years, who too often have devoted themselves to the search for obstacles to negotiations instead of seizing opportunities for engagement,” Biegun, the U.S.' Special Representative for North Korea, said at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in South Korea’s capital, according to Reuters.

NORTH KOREAN LEADER KIM JONG UN, FAMILY GIVEN EXPERIMENTAL CORONAVIRUS VACCINE FROM CHINA, ANALYST SAYS 

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun delivers a speech on "The Future of the United States and the Korean Peninsula" at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies in Seoul Thursday, Dec. 10, 2020. Biegun is in Seoul for talks on North Korea and other issues. (Jung Yeon-je /Pool Photo via AP)

He also defended President Trump’s “bold” vision to get the country to denuclearize but admitted he was disappointed that talks had stalled following two summits in Singapore and Hanoi.

North Korea has since accused the U.S. of having a "hostile policy" toward the country over a State Department report from 2018 that called North Korea a state sponsor of terror. 

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Biegun said he will urge the Biden administration to continue a dialogue with the isolated country. “The war is over; the time for conflict has ended," he said, according to Reuters, "and the time for peace has arrived.”