Just in:
Ajman Celebrates Conclusion of Ramadan Activities with Grand Ceremony // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // In Lok Sabha Polls In Punjab, AAP Is Advantageously Placed As Against Its Three Rivals // AIA Hong Kong Wins More Than 20 Accolades at MPF Ratings MPF Awards, BENCHMARK MPF of The Year Awards and Bloomberg Businessweek Top Fund Awards // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // Hope for Respite as UAE Endorses UN Plea for Gaza Truce // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // AI Boost for Galaxy Devices: Samsung Expands One UI 6.1 Update // Superland Announced Annual Results for 2023, 2023 Net Profit Increased approximately 39.5% to approximately HK$22.2 million as Compared to the 2022 Adjusted One // Arvind Kejriwal Was Used By BJP In 2011 Movement To Take On The Congress // U.S. Compliance Takes Center Stage at OKX Following Industry Jitters // Renewables Surge Sets Record, But Global Equity Lags // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Arvind Kejriwal Gets International Heft Against The Deshi Vishwaguru // Court Sides with Coinbase on Wallet Service, But Staking Program Remains in Limbo // German Job Market Resilience Bodes Well for Economic Recovery // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Sharpening the Focus: Sharjah Health Department Refines Evaluation Criteria for “Healthy Schools Programme” // Samsung Partners National Heritage Board to Bring a Slice of Singapore’s Cultural Heritage to Samsung The Frame TV //
HomeWorldTrump to new South Korean leader: Conditions must be right for talks with North

Trump to new South Korean leader: Conditions must be right for talks with North

ADVERTISEMENT

WASHINGTON U.S. President Donald Trump has responded to the new South Korean president’s advocacy of talks with North Korea by saying he does not oppose discussions, but reiterated that the circumstances must be right, according to a transcript of an NBC interview.

Moon Jae-in’s advocacy of engagement with North Korea has appeared to contrast with the approach of the United States, South Korea’s main ally, which has been seeking to step up pressure on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs through further isolation and sanctions.

Asked in an interview with NBC News conducted on Thursday whether Moon’s approach would mean a change in U.S. strategy, Trump replied: “He’s more open to discussion. I don’t mind discussion, but it’s under certain circumstances.”

“I could probably give you a much better answer to that in a month or two months. We’re going to see what happens,” Trump added, according to a transcript released on Friday.

“The North Korean situation is a very, very dangerous one for South Korea, for Japan, frankly for China and for the rest of the world. And I think we’ve handled it very well, very firmly.”

Tension has been high for months on the Korean peninsula over North Korea’s nuclear and missile development and due to fears it will conduct a sixth nuclear test and more ballistic missile launches in defiance of U.N. Security Council resolutions.

North Korea has been working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of reaching the United States, presenting Trump with perhaps his most pressing security issue. On Thursday, U.S. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats said North Korea posed “a very significant, potentially existential threat to the United States that has to be addressed.”

Trump, who spoke with Moon on Wednesday, this month opened the door to meeting North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, saying he would be “honored” to meet Kim – but only under the right circumstances. U.S. officials have said they see no value in resuming international talks with North Korea until Pyongyang has made clear it is committed to denuclearization.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman said on Thursday Washington remained open to talks with North Korea, but needed to see that it would “cease all its illegal activities and aggressive behavior in the region.”

Moon, who was elected this week, has taken a more conciliatory line than his conservative predecessors and has said he would be prepared to go to Pyongyang “if the conditions are right.”

He told Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday the resolution of the North Korea issue “must be comprehensive and sequential, with pressure and sanctions used in parallel with negotiations.”

On Friday, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin told Moon in a phone call he was ready to play a “constructive role” in resolving North Korea’s nuclear threat, South Korea’s presidential office said.

“I, too, aim to find a way to begin talks quickly between North and South Korea as well as the six-party talks,” Moon said, referring to talks aimed at denuclearizing North Korea involving the United States, China, Japan, Russia and the two Koreas. Those talks collapsed in 2008.

(Reporting by David Brunnstrom; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)

-Reuters

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT
Just in:
Experts come together to support updating the city’s nature conservation masterplan // US reiterates concern over Kejriwal arrest, Cong accounts // Arvind Kejriwal Gets International Heft Against The Deshi Vishwaguru // Arvind Kejriwal Was Used By BJP In 2011 Movement To Take On The Congress // Konica Minolta is named ASEAN 2023 Market Leader in Colour Light and Mid Digital Production Printers // Andertoons by Mark Anderson for Thu, 28 Mar 2024 // Meta Earth Official Website Launch: The Pioneer Explorer in the Modular Public Blockchain Domain // Infineon and HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering jointly develop ship electrification technology // In Lok Sabha Polls In Punjab, AAP Is Advantageously Placed As Against Its Three Rivals // Hullabaloo About Electoral Bonds May End Up As A Whimper Pre And Post Poll // Party Nominees Refusing To Contest: Major Perception Threat For BJP // Sunshine’s Debut Features Leave Tech World Scratching Its Head // Renewables Surge Sets Record, But Global Equity Lags // Emirati Aid Reaches Ukraine as Food Shortages Bite // Universal Language for Healthcare: General Authority Embraces Global Coding System // No running of govt from jail, says Delhi Lt Governor // Experience Ultimate Shopping Freedom at 4.4 Shopee Spree: Don’t Worry, Shop Shopee! // Ingdan Announces 2023 Annual Results // Lisboeta Macau’s world first LINE FRIENDS PRESENTS CASA DE AMIGO and BROWN & FRIENDS CAFE & BISTRO has officially opened // Court Sides with Coinbase on Wallet Service, But Staking Program Remains in Limbo //