The U.S.’s top diplomat on Thursday said he was “very hopeful” about prospects for renewed negotiations with North Korea, in comments that come as his deputy visits South Korea and Japan to coordinate with allied governments on regional issues.

“We continue to work to establish dialogue and have substantive conversations about how we might deliver … peace and stability to the entire peninsula,” said U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo in a teleconference with foreign reporters based in Washington.

“We’re very hopeful that we can continue to have this conversation,” Secretary Pompeo added, “whether that’s at … the levels beneath