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In 2022, Matthew Abbott wrote “Breaking the Diplomatic Deadlock with North Korea” for War on the Rocks, in which he argued that there was still “there is still some hope for diplomatic progress” with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. In the two years since, the North’s actions and rhetoric have grown increasingly hostile – earlier this month, Kim Jong Un even declared an end to the policy of seeking reunification with South Korea, prompting some analysts to warn the country was preparing for war with its neighbor. In light of this, we asked Matthew to look back on his article and recommendations.Read more below.Photo by kremlin.ruIn your piece, you argue that “there is still some hope for diplomatic progress” with North Korea. Is this still true? There is still hope for diplomatic progress, though I am much more pessimistic that such progress will take place in the near future. The Biden administration has continued its outreach, and the North Korean government has yet to show any interest in engaging. With that said, I still believe it is important to make attempts to engage in diplomacy, but I also believe there need to be some confidence-building measures that take place before diplomacy can yield results. I also believe the North Koreans might have an interest in waiting to learn the results of the upcoming American presidential election, after which there might be new opportunities for diplomatic progress. In the meantime, the Biden administration should continue to engage countries that do have open channels of communication with North Korea on areas of common concern.What stance has the Biden administration taken towards North Korea? The Biden administration has taken a relatively traditional approach to North Korea policy. With that said, there have been missed opportunities to signal openness to new diplomatic initiatives. For example, the policy review undertaken at the beginning