Speaking candidly about the last four years, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun said he’s disappointed that Washington and Pyongyang didn’t make more progress, but also urged North Korea to scrape together a plan for more diplomacy at its upcoming Party Congress in Jan. 2021. 

“You might wonder if I am disappointed that we did not accomplish more over the past two years. I am,” Biegun said on Thursday, according to a prewritten copy of his speech seen by NK News. “Over the past two and a half years, we have made clear to North Korea that the United States is ready to move past a 70-year-old conflict ... Regrettably, much opportunity has been squandered by our North Korean counterparts.”