U.S. greets talk of N. Korea nuke concessions with hope, skepticism
Associated Press
SEOUL, South Korea — After years of refusal, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the fate of his atomic arsenal with the United States and has expressed a readiness to suspend nuclear and missile tests during such talks, a senior South Korean official saidTuesday.
As the world awaited his next move, President Donald Trump greeted North Korea’s reported willingness to negotiate away its atomic weapons with both hope and skepticism Tuesday, insisting a potential diplomatic breakthrough be tested against the North’s long history of deception and threats to target U.S. cities with nuclear missiles.
“I really believe they are sincere,” Mr. Trump said at a news conference, sounding more optimistic than his intelligence chief, Dan Coats, who told a Senate hearing he has “very, very low confidence” that Mr. Kim intends to give up his nuclear arms.
The North Korean side is reported to have said that there is no reason for it to have nuclear weapons as long as its own state security is assured. However, Pyongyang didn’t confirm those concessions — saying simply that the two sides “made a satisfactory agreement” — which would amount to a dramatic about-face for a nation that has frequently vowed to preserve its nuclear arsenalat any cost.
If the statement is corroborated by North Korea, it would be the first time Mr. Kim has indicated that his government is willing to discuss relinquishing nuclear weapons in return for security guarantees from the UnitedStates.
“Maybe this is a breakthrough. I seriously doubt it,” Mr.Coats said.
The U.S. would continue putting pressure on Pyongyang to disarm, Vice President Mike Pence said, adding that the U.S. “posture toward the regime will not change until we see credible, verifiable and concrete steps towarddenuclearization.”
Mr. Kim also agreed to meet with South Korea’s president next month, South Korean presidential national security director Chung Euiyong said after returning from rare talks with the enigmatic dictator, believed to be in his mid-30s, in the North Koreancapital of Pyongyang.
North Korea’s willingness to hold a “candid dialogue” with the United States to discuss denuclearization and establish diplomatic relations follows a year of increased fears of war on the Korean Peninsula, with Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump exchanging fiery rhetoric and crude insults over Mr. Kim’s barrage of weapons tests. The Trump administration also pushed through some of the harshest sanctions any country has ever faced.
Mr. Trump tweeted Tuesday that “possible progress” was being made in the talks with North Korea, and that all sides were making serious efforts. He added: “May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!” Later he said that progress with North Korea “would be a great thing for the world.” But he added, “We’regoing to see.”
There is still skepticism whether the developments will help establish genuine peace between the Koreas, which have a long history of failing to follow through with rapprochementagreements.
The North has repeatedly said in the past that it won’t negotiate over its nuclear program and vowed to bolster its nuclear and missile arsenals, at least while facing what it describes as an existential American threat. Its apparent about-face might be an attempt to win concessions as its economy struggles under sanctions, some analysts said, or a way to buy time to better develop nuclear missiles targeting the mainlandUnited States.
“We have seen nothing to indicate ... that he would be willing to give up those weapons,” Mr. Coats told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday. He said he could not adequately assess the South’s account of the Pyongyang talks until the South Koreans have provided a full briefing.
Diplomatic prospects had appeared bleak until a flurry of interactions between the Koreas that sealed their joint participation in last month’s Winter Olympics in South Korea, and a rare visit by Mr. Kim’s sister to the country.
The 10 members of the Chung-led delegation were the first South Korean officials to meet the North Korean leader since he took power after his dictator father’s death in late 2011.