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| ▲ This file photo, taken June 30, 2019, shows U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. (Yonhap) |
White House-N Korea
White House says Trump remains open to dialogue with Kim 'without any preconditions'
By Song Sang-ho
WASHINGTON, Feb. 26 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to dialogue with North Korea "without any preconditions," the White House said Thursday, after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed Pyongyang's willingness to talk with the United States if it drops its "hostile" policy toward his regime.
During a recent key party congress, Kim said that Pyongyang has "no reason not to get along with the U.S." if Washington withdraws its hostile policy, noting that the prospects of U.S.-North Korea ties "entirely depend on the U.S. attitude," according to the North's state media.
"President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula," a White House official said in response to a request for comment by Yonhap News Agency.
"U.S. policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions," the official added.
Kim has left the door open for the resumption of diplomacy with the U.S. amid speculation that Trump could seek to have talks with Kim when he visits China from late next month to early April.
Trump had three in-person meetings with Kim during his first term: the first meeting in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.
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