NORTH KOREA READY TO DISCUSS NUKES,
WASHINGTON — North Korea’s government has communicated directly with the United States to say that leader Kim Jong Un is ready to discuss the possible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula in talks with President Trump.
Last month, Trump accepted an unusual offer from Kim to hold a meeting. But the offer had been conveyed second-hand to the U.S. via South Korea. Initially, the U.S. had not heard directly from the North that Kim was willing to discuss denuclearization. That fueled speculation about the seriousness of the offer.
A Trump administration official said yesterday that the United States has now “confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.” The official wasn’t authorized to be quoted by name and demanded anonymity.
The meeting could occur as early as May.
The agreement clears the way for the high-level talks between Kim and Trump — who have traded insults over the past year as North Korea conducted a series of missile tests.
While critics have said that Trump’s caustic approach — belittling Kim and threatening consequences for North Korea on Twitter — raised the risk of war, Kim instead made peace overtures to South Korea and then through a South Korea official, signalled a willingness to talk to the United States. Trump’s strategy also included putting pressure on China, which supplies North Korea with much of its food and fuel.