White House: "Trump Open to Talks with Kim Jong-un Without Preconditions"

▲ The inter-Korean-U.S. summit meeting at Panmunjom in June 2019

The U.S. White House has reaffirmed its stance that it is open to dialogue with North Korea without preconditions.

In response to a reporter's question on the 1st (local time) asking whether preparations for a North Korea-U.S. summit were underway, a White House official stated, "U.S. policy toward North Korea has not changed," adding, "President Donald Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions."

The official also noted, "During his first term, President Trump held three historic meetings with Kim Jong-un to stabilize the Korean Peninsula."

While stating that U.S. policy toward North Korea has not changed, the White House official did not specifically address whether North Korea's denuclearization is included in U.S. policy toward North Korea.

When asked on the 19th whether the goal of resuming dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is the denuclearization of North Korea, President Trump evaded the question, saying, "I don't want to talk about that."

Analyses have emerged suggesting this is an incentive to bring Chairman Kim—who has stated he will no longer discuss denuclearization—back to the negotiating table, alongside concerns that President Trump might lean toward discussions that exclude denuclearization while pursuing North Korea-U.S. talks.

Since last year, the White House has repeatedly sent conciliatory messages to North Korea, maintaining that U.S. policy toward North Korea remains unchanged and that President Trump is open to dialogue with Chairman Kim without preconditions.

In response to a question on the 26th asking whether the Trump administration still aims for the complete denuclearization of North Korea, a U.S. State Department spokesperson stated, "The United States remains committed to the complete denuclearization of North Korea."

This means that while the responsible department mentions the complete denuclearization of North Korea, the White House has refrained from making specific remarks on it.

This White House position is interpreted as reflecting President Trump's strong willingness to resume dialogue with Chairman Kim.

However, following the U.S.-China summit last May, the White House announced, "President Trump and President Xi confirmed the shared goal of the denuclearization of North Korea."

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