The US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Friday United States is looking for a “reliable, predictable and constructive” way to secure progress in stalled denuclearization negotiations with North Korea.

Sherman said that following a meeting with South Korean vice Foreign Minister Choi Jong-kun in Seoul on the second leg of her Asian tour.

The two sides talked about how to reopen negotiations after North Korea brushed off the Biden administration’s proposals for talks, casting a cloud over prospects for dismantling its nuclear and missile programs.

“We are looking forward to a reliable, predictable, constructive way forward with the DPRK,” Sherman told reporters, referring to North Korea by its official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“We all feel for the people of the DPRK who are indeed facing all of the most difficult circumstances given the pandemic and what it means as well for their food security.”

While North Korea has not reported any coronavirus cases, leader Kim Jong Un said the food situation was “tense,” citing the pandemic that led to North Korea closing its border with China, disrupting trade, and a typhoon last year that damaged crops.