Joe Biden. Photo: Drew Angerer/Getty Images
The Biden administration announced Monday that it is extending for another year a more than decade old executive order declaring a national emergency over the nuclear threat from North Korea.
Why it matters: In a letter addressed to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), Biden noted North Korea's "pursuit of nuclear and missile programs" and its other "provocative, destabilizing" actions continue to pose a threat to U.S. national security.
- National emergencies regarding North Korea were previously declared by the Trump, Obama and Bush administrations.
The state of play: Biden's special envoy for North Korea, Sung Kim, said Monday that the administration hopes for a positive response from North Korea to its offer of talks, the Associated Press reports.
- North Korean leader Kim Jong Un told reporters last week that the country should prepare for "both dialogue and confrontation" with the U.S.
What they're saying: "The existence and risk of the proliferation of weapons‑usable fissile material on the Korean Peninsula and the actions and policies of the Government of North Korea continue to pose an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States," said Biden in the announcement.