The U.S. Ambassador to South Korea repeated Washington’s support for inter-Korean talks, saying the U.S. would also be open to dialogue with North Korea, during a breakfast forum with local lawmakers on Tuesday.

But Ambassador Mark Lippert disappointed some South Korean lawmakers when he refrained from talking in length about Japan’s refusal to apologize for its sexual enslavement of Korean women in World War II, known widely as the comfort women issue.

“We support the Park Geun-hye administration’s efforts to pursue unconditional talks with North Korea,” Lippert said.

“President Obama and this administration stand ready for credible and authentic negotiations that could lead to a creative solution (on the North Korea nuclear issue).”

But the North does not seem interested in talking with the U.S. or the South, and even with China, its largest benefactor, the ambassador added.

Lippert’s comments echo those made in response to criticism earlier this year that South Korea and the U.S. had failed to present a unified North Korea policy. Park had pursued talks while Obama had increased sanctions on Pyongyang over the North’s reported hacking of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

Lippert was forced to forgo much of his breakfast as he took time to answer multiple questions from South Korean lawmakers at the morning meeting. Most of the questions focused on the U.S.’ North Korea policy, and the communist state’s nuclear missile program.

But Rep. Park In-sook of the governing Saenuri Party was able to squeeze in a question regarding the comfort women issue toward the end of the meeting.

“I would like to ask what is the U.S.’ stance on the sex slaves issue,” Rep. Park said in English.

Lippert initially pointed to Obama’s statements last April that Japan’s treatment of the comfort women was a “terrible, egregious violation of human rights.”

But he appeared to avoid getting the U.S. involved in the sensitive issue.

“We continue to not mediate, but encourage both sides to come to a solution that is suitable and appropriate which will satisfy both governments, allowing them to move forward. But we recognize that this is a difficult, emotional issue,” he said.

Rep. Park expressed disappointment with the ambassador’s remark in a phone interview with The Korea Herald later Tuesday.

“I was extremely disappointed,” the lawmaker said regarding the U.S.’s refusal to mediate and take a firmer stance on what she called “Japan’s efforts to destroy history, especially on the sex slaves issue.”

South Korea blames Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s revisionist views on history for worsening ties between Seoul and Tokyo. Abe has made comments contradicting former apologies by Japanese leaders over the country’s aggression and war crimes during World War II.

“I think this is something most of the people here in Korea want. The U.S. must take a more active role on (the comfort women issue),” Rep. Park added when asked if others in the Saenuri Party shared her opinion.

Last month, Abe vowed to campaign against U.S. textbooks that referred to the comfort women as sex slaves, saying the depiction was not true.

McGraw-Hill, one U.S. publisher, has refused to rewrite related textbooks.

“I would like to give (McGraw-Hill) a pat on the back,” Rep. Park said.

By Jeong Hunny (hj257@heraldcorp.com)