‘Recently, after discussing North Korea-U.S. dialogues with Prime Minister Kim Min-seok, U.S. President Trump expressed high interest in such dialogues, according to Unification Minister Jeong Dong-young. He evaluated it as a reaffirmation of Trump’s commitment.’
‘Minister Jeong shared this view with reporters today (16th) and expressed hope that North Korea would not miss the opportunity of Trump’s interest and commitment to dialogue.’
‘Minister Jeong emphasized that “North Korea-U.S. dialogue must happen,” and that it is beneficial not only for North Korea but also for the entire Korean Peninsula and the United States, thereby serving the common interest.’
‘When asked if Trump’s question “I wonder if Chairman Kim Jong-un wants to talk with me” indicates skepticism about North Korea’s willingness to engage in dialogue, Minister Jeong responded: “At last year’s APEC, Trump clearly expressed his desire to meet with Chairman Kim, which somewhat affected his pride. Therefore, I believe this is a rhetorical question of whether Kim is genuinely interested in meeting him.”‘
‘He also said, “The important thing is that President Trump still shows deep interest and willingness to meet with Chairman Kim Jong-un, and we need to keep this spark alive.”‘
‘When asked if Trump’s remarks were made in the context of behind-the-scenes contact between North Korea and the U.S., Minister Jeong replied, “As far as I know, no special contact has been made.”’
‘Regarding the potential impact of issues such as President Trump’s deployment request for warships to the Hormuz Strait due to the recent Iran situation on the North Korea-U.S. dialogues, Minister Jeong commented, “Generally, these are seen as having a negative impact,” but emphasized that “President Trump is a leader who can decide on war or dialogue to resolve issues.”‘
‘Regarding North Korea’s launch of a 600mm precision multiple rocket launcher over the East Sea on the 14th, Minister Jeong said, “I think it strongly reflects a response to the joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises.”‘
[Photo credit: Yonhap News]
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