US envoy says ready 'at every moment' for North Korea talks

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun has emphasized Washington's readiness to engage in dialogue with North Korea, the State Department said Friday.

Biegun, who doubles as the top U.S. envoy for North Korea, delivered the position in meetings with Japanese officials during his visit to Tokyo on Thursday and Friday, the department said in a press release, Yonhap reports.

"Deputy Secretary Biegun emphasized continued U.S. readiness to engage in dialogue with the DPRK," it said, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Biegun expressed a similar position during his trip to Seoul earlier in the week, saying North Koreans will "find us ready at that very moment" that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un appoints a negotiator empowered to discuss the country's nuclear weapons program.

Nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang have stalled due to differences over the scope of North Korea's denuclearization and sanctions relief from the U.S.

North Korea has rejected the idea of resuming talks before the U.S. changes its positions.

On Friday, Kim's sister, Yo Jong, called for the "withdrawal of hostility" from the U.S.