US 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 US" if Washington withdraws its hostile policy, noting that the prospects of US-North Korea ties "entirely depend on the US 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.
"US policy on North Korea has not changed. President Trump remains open to talking with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions," the official added.
In his speech at the congress of the ruling Workers' Party, Kim left the door open for diplomacy with the Trump administration, amid speculation that Trump could seek to have talks with Kim when he visits China from late next month to early April.
He also dismissed South Korea's efforts to engage with the North, dampening Seoul's hopes for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and cooperation.
The congress came as South Korea's top nuclear envoy, Jeong Yeon-doo, visited Washington this week to discuss policy coordination on North Korea and other issues.
During his stay in the US capital, he met senior US officials, including Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Thomas DiNanno, and Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre.
"I have confirmed (during my trip here) that there is no change in the US' stance that it is open to dialogue with North Korea without preconditions," Jeong told South Korean reporters in Washington.
He added that during talks with US officials, he explained that Seoul, as a "pacemaker," will continue to support efforts to resume dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang, and seek to reduce inter-Korean tensions and build trust with the North "with a long-term perspective."
During his first summit with Trump in August, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung pledged that South Korea will work as a "pacemaker" to help Trump play a role as a "peacemaker."
A senior Seoul official said that there appears to be no new development in terms of working-level engagement between the US and the North that could pave the way for the resumption of bilateral dialogue.
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. (Yonhap)
