Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman met with South Korean officials in Seoul on july 23, where she called on North Korea to agree to new talks. “We are looking forward to a reliable, predictable, constructive way forward with the D.P.R.K.,” Sherman said. “We have offered to sit and dialogue with the North Koreans, and we are waiting to hear from them.” She added: “We all feel for the people of the D.P.R.K., who are indeed facing all the most difficult circumstances given the pandemic, and what it means as well for their food security. We only hope for a better outcome for the people of the D.P.R.K.” Chairman Kim Jong Un has not acknowledged any COVID-19 cases, but did say in June that there was a crisis in food supplies. North Korea was the only country not participating in the Japan Olympics.