North Korea's leader Kim Jong-un delivers his closing remarks during the first short course for chief secretaries of city and county party committees of the country's ruling Workers Party of Korea, held March 6, in this photo released by the country's state-run Korean Central News Agency the following day. KCNA-Yonhap

By Jung Da-min

North Korea watchers said it is not yet the right time for North Korea to accept Washington's calls for talks, while U.S. President Joe Biden's administration has yet to draw up its North Korea policy.

According to a Reuters report, Saturday (local time), which cited a senior White House official, Washington has been reaching out to Pyongyang for behind-the-scenes diplomatic talks since mid-February but the reclusive regime has remained unresponsive.

The report came days before U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will travel to Tokyo and Seoul for talks with their Japanese and South Korean counterparts, through which Washington is expected to draw up its North Korea policy.