Make a deal, Trump urges North Korea
seoul — In a striking shift of tone, 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 sidelined apocalyptic threats for an optimistic note, saying confidently, if vaguely, that “ultimately, it’ll all work out.” And while he said the United States would use military force if needed, he expressed his strongest inclination yet 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 also underlined 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. Trump said that while “we hope to God” not to have to resort to the use of full US military might, he was ready to do whatever was necessary to prevent the “North Korean dictator” from threatening millions of lives.
“We cannot allow North Korea to threaten all that we have built,” Trump said. He praised Moon for “great cooperation” despite differences in the past over how to confront North Korea and over a trade pact between the United States and South Korea.
At the news conference, the leaders said they had agreed to renegotiate the trade agreement in a timely fashion.
In formal talks after an elaborate welcoming ceremony outside the presidential Blue House in Seoul, Moon told Trump he hoped his visit would relieve some of South Koreans’ anxiety over North Korea.
On the second leg of his five-nation trip, Trump toured the sprawling Camp Humphreys garrison, which lies about 100km from the border with reclusive North Korea, and met commanders and troops.
The base visit gave him a firsthand view of the massive military assets the United States has in place in South Korea, but it also could serve as a reminder of the cost in US military lives — as well as the potential massive South Korean civilian losses — if the current crisis spirals into war.
South Korea is negotiating with the United States to buy nuclearpowered submarines to guard against threats from Pyongyang,
We cannot allow north Korea to threaten all that we have built. It really makes sense for north Koreas to come to the table and make a deal Donald Trump, US president
I hope that your visit will serve as an opportunity to relieve some of the anxiety that the Koreans have due to north’s provocations” Moon Jae-in, Korean president
local reports said Tuesday, as President Donald Trump said Seoul would buy “billions of dollars” of US weapons.
Nuclear-powered submarines can stay submerged for months, giving them a far greater range than their diesel-powered counterparts, and are also crucial to any seaborne nuclear deterrent.
Such a purchase would redraw the balance of power in northeast Asia, and could trigger a regional arms race. — AP, Reuter, AFP