Trump calls on N Korea to ‘make deal’, claims progress on ‘threat’
OPTIMISTIC TONE US president says will use military force ‘if needed’, but expresses strong inclination yet to deal with Pyongyang through diplomacy
SEOUL : In a striking shift of tone, US President Donald Trump abandoned his aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea on Tuesday, signalling a willingness to negotiate as he urged Pyongyang to “come to the table” and “make a deal.”
Trump, in his first day on the Korean peninsula, again pushed Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons programme, but sounded an optimistic note, saying confidently, if vaguely, “ultimately, it’ll all work out.” And while he said the US would use military force if needed, he expressed a strong inclination to deal with rising tensions with Pyongyang through diplomacy.
“It makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world,” Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in. “I do see certain movement.”
Trump said he’s seen “a lot of progress” in dealing with North Korea, though he stopped short of saying whether he wanted direct diplomatic talks.
Trump also underscored the United States’ military options, noting that three aircraft carrier groups and a nuclear submarine had been deployed to the region. But he said “we hope to God we never have to use” the arsenal.
And at an evening banquet, Trump teased an “exciting day tomorrow for many reasons that people will find out.” He did not elaborate.
During his first day in South Korea, Trump at least temporarily lowered the temperature on his usually incendiary language. There were no threats of unleashing “fire and fury” on North Korea, nor did Trump revive his derisive nickname for North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, “Little Rocket Man.”
But he did decree that the dictator is “threatening millions and millions of lives, so needlessly” and highlighted a central mission of his first lengthy Asia trip: to enlist many nations in the region, to cut off Pyongyang’s economic lifeblood and pressure it into giving up its nuclear programme.
Moon, who has been eager to solidify a friendship with Trump, said he hoped the visit would be a moment of inflection in the standoff with North Korea and said the two leaders had “agreed to resolve the North Korea nuclear issue in peaceful manner”.
“I know that you have put this issue at the top of your security agenda,” said Moon. “So I hope that your visit to Korea and to the Asia Pacific region will serve as an opportunity to relieve some of the anxiety that the Korean people have due to North Korea’s provocations and also serve as a turning point in resolving the North Korean nuclear issue.”