U.S. "notes with interest" North Korea's hint at possible diplomacy

Published on: 2025/08/08 11:35

U.S. "notes with interest" North Korea's hint at possible diplomacy
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Washington has expressed interest after a senior North Korean official last week appeared to hint at the possibility of resuming diplomacy between President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un.

Our Oh Soo-young starts us off.

The United States is "noting with interest" a recent remark by North Korea hinting it may be open to dialogue, saying Washington's still committed to their Singapore statement on developing bilateral ties.

Speaking at a public event on Thursday, U.S. State Department's Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian Affairs Seth Bailey acknowledged last week's statement made by Kim Yo-jong, the sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Kim Yo-jong had said the relationship between the U.S. and North Korean leaders is "not bad," and called for a "new" approach by Washington, saying Pyongyang's nuclear capabilities and the geopolitical reality had changed since Donald Trump's first term.

But she flatly rejected the idea of denuclearization included in the 2018 statement following then-President Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un's first summit in Singapore.

The two leaders had agreed to work towards denuclearization and to build new bilateral relations.

Bailey said that the second Trump administration is still committed to the statement's principles, and that the U.S. leader has clearly shown his willingness to engage in negotiations.

Washington, however, remains committed to North Korea's denuclearization, through its alliance with South Korea to counter security challenges in Northeast Asia.

Bailey said Seoul and Washington are committed to enhancing regional security, "using all instruments of power to deter aggression and counter provocations, including the destabilizing actions of North Korea."

President Trump in his first term, met with Kim Jong-un on three occasions.

While the first Singapore Summit offered hope for a breakthrough deal on North Korea's denuclearization and economic development, disagreements over the scope of dismantling nukes led to the breakdown of their summit in Hanoi.

A meeting at the inter-Korean border in 2019 was brief and saw no outcome.

South Korea's new Lee Jae Myung administration has expressed its support for the resumption of Trump-Kim talks, as well as inter-Korean diplomacy.

Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.

Arirang news https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=286068

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