North Korea would talk to US if terms right, says Yonhap

Bloomberg

A senior North Korean official said his country would be willing to talk to the US government if conditions were right, according to South Korean news agency Yonhap. Choe Sun-hui, director general for North American affairs at North Korea’s foreign ministry, made the comment to reporters in Beijing, Yonhap reported on Saturday. The remarks follow comments by US President Donald Trump that he would be “honored” to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right conditions. Trump has also pledged to consider all options to rein in Kim’s nuclear-arms ambitions.
“To say ‘under right conditions’ basically means they won’t talk now,” said Shin Beomchul, a professor at Korea National Diplomatic Academy. “The remark is definitely a bit softer in tone compared to the past when the North would’ve said no to talks unless the U.S. acknowledges them as a nuclear power. ” Last week, the U.S. House passed legislation that would expand economic and human-rights sanctions against North Korea. Choe’s comments come after South Korea this week chose its new President Moon Jae-in, who favors a two-track approach on sanctions and talks with the North.Choe was part of a North Korean delegation that recently met with a group of American experts in Oslo, Norway, Yonhap reported.