White House official says Trump remains open to talks with Kim Jong-un 'without preconditions'
Some observers read the White House's reluctance to explicitly invoke North Korea's complete denuclearization — in contrast to the State Department's clearer language — as reflecting the U.S. president's own priorities.
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, right, and U.S. President Donald Trump take a walk around the Capella hotel during their summit in Singapore on June 12, 2018.
AFP/YONHAP
A White House official reaffirmed that U.S. President Donald Trump remains willing to talk with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un without setting any terms in advance.
“U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions,” a White House official said in an email on Wednesday.
The official, however, did not specifically address whether the North’s denuclearization remains the core objective of that policy. Trump himself sidestepped a question regarding the matter in August.
This has fueled two interpretations: that Trump’s remarks are a conciliatory signal meant to draw Kim back to the table, given North Korea’s refusal to discuss denuclearization, and that future U.S.-North Korea talks could proceed without denuclearization as a precondition.
The U.S. State Department, by contrast, has been more explicit in outlining denuclearization as the goal of renewing talks between the two countries. Asked on Aug. 26 whether the Trump administration still aims for North Korea’s complete denuclearization, a State Department spokesperson said that the United States remains committed to that goal.
Some observers read the White House’s recent reluctance to explicitly invoke denuclearization — in contrast with the State Department’s clearer language — as reflecting Trump’s own priorities in restarting a dialogue with Kim.
Following the U.S.-China summit, the White House announced in May that Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had affirmed a shared goal of North Korea’s denuclearization. Given this, attention is turning to which position the White House will take on denuclearization around Xi’s planned U.S. visit later this month.
BY JEONG JAE-HONG [lee.jian@joongang.co.kr]
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
