Rex Tillerson says U.S. is open to North Korea

The U.S. administration of President Donald Trump has proposed for the first time a dialogue to North Korea without any precondition about nuclear freeze or dismantlement. After North Korea also expressed its willingness to engage in talks with the United States, expectations are high that Pyongyang and Washington will meet and talk.

“We are ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk. And we are ready to have the first meeting without preconditions,” U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said at a forum hosted by the Atlantic Council and the Korea Foundation in Washington on Tuesday. “It is not realistic to say we're only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your program. They've too much invested in it.” The secretary of state has emphasized the need to make the North come to the table.

White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster also said at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday that now is “the last, best chance to avoid military conflict with North Korea.” In other words, he repeated Washington’s commitment to find a diplomatic solution to the North Korean nuclear crisis.

Jeong-Hun Park sunshade@donga.com · Sang-Jun Han alwaysj@donga.com