Trump Opens Door, Slightly, to Talking With N Korea
Local Editor
North Korea's declaration at the end of the Winter Olympics of its willingness to start a dialogue with the United States offered a sliver of optimism that the political pageantry of the Games would lead to more substantial results.
A day after the closing ceremony, US President Donald Trump responded that the United States, too, was interested in talking.
"We want to talk also," Trump said in remarks to American governors at the White House on Monday. But he quickly added: "only under the right conditions."
"Otherwise," he said, "we're not talking."
However, Trump's hint that talks might be possible came just hours before word emerged of a potential complication to any peace efforts: the looming departure of Joseph Y. Yun, one of the State Department's most knowledgeable and experienced diplomats on North Korea.
Yun abruptly announced his plan to retire by the end of the week, a departure that could undermine any chances of talks taking place, much less progress being made on curbing North Korea's nuclear programs.
Yun, the top American envoy on North Korea, has been a strong advocate for a diplomatic - rather than military - resolution to the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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