Trump says willing to talk with Kim

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Saturday he would be willing to speak directly with North Korea leader Kim JongUn, voicing hope that rare talks between the North and South Korea could help de-escalate the crisis over Pyongyang’s nuclear drive.

Trump’s remarks were a further pivot from his often-bellicose rhetoric on North Korea and Kim, with whom he has engaged in a war of words that raised fears of nuclear war as Pyongyang carried out missile and nuclear tests.

“I always believe in talking,” Trump said at the Camp David presidential retreat when asked if he would speak to Kim by phone.

“Absolutely I would do that, no problem with that at all,” Trump said, while making clear this did not mean he would do so without preconditions.

North and South Korea have agreed to hold their first official talks in more than two years, and Trump expressed hopes that they would go beyond discussions of Pyongyang’s participation in the upcoming Winter Olympics in the South, which a North Korean Olympic official said Saturday was “likely”.

“I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics,” Trump said.

“And at the appropriate time, we’ll get involved.”

He added that if something could come out of the talks, “that would be a great thing for all of humanity”.

Kim said in a New Year speech the North would consider sending a delegation to the Winter Games in February. The two sides on Friday agreed to proposed talks in the truce village of Panmunjom tomorrow, the South’s unification ministry said. – AFP