Washington/Seoul, Oct 15 (IANS): The US continues to be prepared to meet with North Korea without preconditions as it awaits the Pyongyang's response to its "specific proposals", a State Department spokesperson said.

Addressing reporters in Washington Thursday, Department spokesman Ned Price also stressed that the US remains actively engaged in diplomacy with its allies to discuss ways to enhance their collective security, reports Yonhap News Agency.

"We do stand prepared to meet with the DPRK without preconditions. We have made, in fact, specific proposals to the DPRK and we will await a response. We will await outreach from the DPRK."

DPRK stands for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, North Korea's official name.

Price did not directly comment on whether the US proposals to the North included the reduction or removal of sanctions on the North when asked.

North Korea has stayed away from denuclearization talks with the US since early 2019. It also remains unresponsive to US overtures made by President Joe Biden's administration since taking office in January.

"We believe diplomacy, including direct diplomacy with the DPRK, is the most effective means to meet the policy objective that has emerged from a review of our DPRK policy that we completed some months ago, and that objective remains the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," Price added.