N. Korea wasted chance with Trump: U.S. envoy

Washington's top representative to North Korea is saying that Pyongyang wasted its chance to radically change its relationship with the United States during Donald Trump's presidency.

Speaking to a think tank in Seoul, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun admitted he was disappointed denuclearization negotiations had stalled, after what appeared to be a rapid thaw in relations at its peak.

"Regrettably, much opportunity has been squandered by our North Korean counterparts over the past two years, who too often devoted themselves to the search for obstacles to negotiation instead of seizing opportunities for engagement."

Biegun defended Trump's decision to focus on top-level face-to-face diplomacy with leader Kim Jong Un.

After trading insults and threats that threatened to bring war earlier in his presidency, Trump and Kim met in 2018. They were unprecedented meetings, with his push for an agreement where North Korea would surrender its nuclear weapons -- but that ultimately collapsed.

"This vision was a bold one, and it made many advocates of incrementalism uncomfortable. And while it has yet to deliver fully upon the success we hoped for, it is worth taking a moment to outline the actions we were prepared to take in our discussions with North Korea after the Singapore summit."

Subsequent talks since 2019 have failed to make progress and Pyongyang has rebuffed Biegun's calls for more engagement.