US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs David Stilwell (Center) makes a speech in Seoul, South Korea on September 17, 2019 (Photo: AFP/VNA)

He said the US remains committed to the goals US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un set at their summit in Singapore in June 2018. He said the two sides are prepared to begin working-level negotiations to discuss how to make progress toward those goals, including the complete denuclearization of North Korea. 

North Korea has stepped up its demands for sanctions relief and security guarantees as the US has sought complete denuclearization of the regime.