Biden says 'hello' to North Korea's Kim amid tensions over weapons tests

US President Joe Biden, in Seoul before heading to Japan as part of his first Asia trip as president, had a simple message for North Korea's Kim Jong Un: "Hello... period," he told reporters on the last day of his visit to South Korea on Sunday.

Biden said he was "not concerned" about new NorthKorean nuclear tests, which would be the first in nearly five years.

But his wry response when asked what message he had for Kimunderscored the administration's low-key approach to the unresolved tensionswith North Korea. It is a stark contrast with former President Donald Trump'sshowy threats, summits, and "love letters" with Kim.

Neither president's approach has led to a majorbreakthrough, however, and North Korea has resumed testing its largestintercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), while intelligence reports suggestit is preparing for a new nuclear test.

“We are prepared for anything North Korea does,” Biden said.

A day earlier, Biden and his new South Korean counterpart,President Yoon Suk-yeol, agreed to consider bigger military exercises andpotentially deploying more nuclear-capable American weapons to the region inresponse to the North's weapons tests.

North Korea has not responded to US overtures, includingoffers of COVID-19 vaccines, Biden said on Saturday, noting that he was willingto sit down with Kim if he thought it would lead to a serious breakthrough.

COVID-19 restrictions may be playing a role in North Korea'slack of response, a senior US administration official said.

North Korea has said the US overtures are insincere becauseWashington maintains "hostile policies" such as military drills andsanctions.

When asked whether Biden was willing to take concrete stepsto break the stalemate, the official said that the administration was lookingfor serious engagement, not grand gestures.

"This is a decision that only the DPRK can make,"the official said, using the initials of North Korea's official name.

REGIONAL TEAM-BUILDING

Biden's focus during the trip has been on rallying"like-minded" democracies to cooperate more, part of broader effortsto counter China's rising influence and exert pressure on Russia over its warin Ukraine.

On the second leg of the trip, Biden will meet with leadersof Japan, India and Australia, a grouping known as the Quad, anothercornerstone of his strategy to push back against China's expanding influence.

Yoon has shown interest in working more closely with theQuad, but the US official said there was no consideration of adding Seoul tothe group.

"It's natural... to think about ways in which you canwork with other like-minded democracies, but I think it's also important torecognise that the goal right now is to develop and build out what has alreadybeen laid out," the official said.

Tokyo will also see the launch on Monday of Biden'slong-awaited Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF), a programmeintended to bind regional countries more closely via common standards in areasincluding supply-chain resilience, clean energy, infrastructure and digitaltrade.

The US official declined to identify which countries mightsign on to the IPEF, but said they were satisfied with "very strong interest"throughout the region in participating.

Before departing to Japan, Biden met with the chairman ofHyundai Motor Group, which announced on Sunday it would invest $5 billion inthe United States through 2025 to strengthen its collaboration with US firms indiverse technologies, such as robotics, urban air mobility, autonomous drivingand artificial intelligence.

Biden was also due to tour a US military base with Yoon.