Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to dialogue with North Korea "without any preconditions," the White House said Thursday, following North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's expression of willingness to engage with the United States if it abandons its "hostile" stance towards Pyongyang.
According to Yonhap News Agency, during a recent party congress, Kim stated that North Korea sees "no reason not to get along with the U.S." should Washington change its hostile policies. He emphasized that the future of U.S.-North Korea relations depends entirely on the U.S. attitude, as reported by North Korea's state media.
A White House official, responding to a request from Yonhap News Agency, highlighted President Trump's commitment to dialogue, referencing the three historic summits he held with Kim Jong-un that helped stabilize the Korean Peninsula. "U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions," the official noted.
In his address at the Workers' Party congress, Kim Jong-un left the door open for diplomatic efforts with the Trump administration, amidst speculation about potential talks during Trump's upcoming visit to China. However, he dismissed South Korea's attempts to engage with the North, dampening hopes for renewed inter-Korean dialogue.
The congress coincided with a visit to Washington by South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Jeong Yeon-doo, who engaged in discussions about policy coordination on North Korea. Jeong met with senior U.S. officials, including Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre. He confirmed that the U.S. remains open to dialogue without preconditions and expressed Seoul's continuous support for efforts to resume talks between Washington and Pyongyang.
In a prior summit with Trump, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung committed to acting as a "pacemaker" to facilitate Trump's role as a "peacemaker." Despite these efforts, a senior Seoul official indicated that there have been no new developments in working-level engagement between the U.S. and North Korea that might lead to renewed bilateral dialogue.
President Trump met with Kim Jong-un three times during his first term: in Singapore in June 2018, Hanoi in February 2019, and at Panmunjom in June 2019, marking significant moments in U.S.-North Korea relations.