US says no ‘grand bargain’ as Biden changes approach to N Korea

Biden opts for diplomacy after months-long review considered lack of progress in convincing Pyongyang to give up nuclear weapons.

US President Joe Biden will explore diplomacy but not seek any “grand bargain” with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un as he embarks on a new approach to pressuring Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the White House said on Friday. “Our goal remains the complete denuclearisation of the Korean Peninsula,” Biden’s press secretary, Jen Psaki, told reporters. US policy will see “a calibrated, practical approach that is open to and will explore diplomacy” with North Korea, she said.