US urges North Korea to join direct talks after missile test

The United States on Sunday made a direct appeal to North Korea to join direct talks with no preconditions about its nuclear and missile programs, after Pyongyang sent a suspected intermediate-range ballistic missile soaring into space.

"We believe it is completely appropriate and completely correct to start having some serious discussions," a senior Biden administration official told reporters. The official said the latest North Korean test was part of an "increasingly destabilizing" pattern.