Kim makes first official mention of US-NK talks

NORTH Korea’s leader Kim Jongun has acknowledged the prospect of talks with the US, state media reported on Tuesday, in his first official mention of dialogue withWashington ahead of a planned summit with President Donald Trump.

Trump agreed last month to a summit with the nuclear-armed North. But with no specific dates or venue set, there had been questions over Pyongyang’s intention to participate.

On Monday, Kim discussed the “the prospect of the DPRKUS dialogue” with party officials, the state KCNA news agency said, referring to the North by its official acronym.

He delivered a report “on the development of the recent situation on the Korean Peninsula”, including the separate summit with South Korea to be held later this month, it said.

Trump has also agreed to meet Kim to discuss denuclearisation. The summit would be the first between a sitting US president and a North Korean leader. But the North remained publicly silent for weeks after its leader’s invitation to talks was first delivered to Trump by South Korean officials.

Kim’s remarks on Monday break that public silence, although he did not specifically refer to a summit with Trump.

They follow media reports that North Korean officials have privately told their US counterparts Kim is ready to discuss denuclearisation.

Trump said on Monday he planned to meet Kim in “May or early June . . . I think there will be great respect paid by both parties and hopefully there will be a deal on denuking.”