WASHINGTON, Sept. 8 (Yonhap) -- The United States strongly supports inter-Korean dialogue and itself remains open to talks with North Korea without any preconditions, a state department spokesperson said Thursday.

The remarks came after the South Korean unification ministry proposed holding talks with the North to discuss the issue of separated families.

"We strongly support inter-Korean cooperation and believe it can play an important role in creating a more stable environment on the Korean Peninsula," a state department spokesperson told Yonhap News Agency when asked about Seoul's proposal for inter-Korean talks.

"The United States remains open to dialogue with the DPRK on any issue and without precondition," the department official added.

Unification Minister Kwon Young-se publicly proposed talks with North Korea on the issue of families separated by the 1950-53 Korean War on Thursday (Seoul time).

Seoul said the North did not respond to its proposal as of late Thursday.

Pyongyang has remained unresponsive to overtures from Washington since U.S. President Joe Biden took office early last year.

It has also stayed away from denuclearization talks since late 2019.

Source: Yonhap News Agency