Trump offers olive-branch talks to North Korea

PRESIDENT Donald Trump has signalled a willingness to negotiate with North Korea to end its nuclear weapons programme, urging Pyongyang to “come to the table” and “make a deal”.

In a notable shift from his aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea, Mr Trump took a more optimistic tone in South Korea yesterday, suggesting “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,” Mr Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in. “I do see certain movement.” Mr Trump said he has seen “a lot of progress” in dealing with North Korea, though he stopped short of saying whether he wanted direct diplomatic talks.

Mr 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 military options.

During his first day in South Korea, Mr Trump lowered the temperature on his previously incendiary language about North Korea.

There were no threats of unleashing “fire and fury” on the North, as Mr Trump previously warned, nor did the President revive his derisive nickname for North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un, Little Rocket Man.