Washington: U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to engaging in dialogue with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un "without any preconditions," a White House official said Tuesday, amid speculation that Trump could seek to meet Kim when he visits South Korea to attend the upcoming Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.
According to Yonhap News Agency, the official made the remarks in response to a question about the possibility of Trump resuming dialogue with Kim during his much-anticipated visit to South Korea to join the APEC gathering set to take place in the southeastern city of Gyeongju from Oct. 31-Nov. 1.
Earlier this month, Kim expressed openness to resuming talks with the United States if Washington drops its demand for the North's denuclearization. However, the Trump administration has reiterated its commitment to pursuing the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea.
"President Trump in his first term held three historic summits with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un that stabilized the Korean Peninsula," the official said. The statement highlighted that U.S. policy on North Korea remains unchanged and that President Trump is open to discussions with Kim Jong-un without any preconditions.
This marks the first public acknowledgment by the Trump administration that it does not have "any preconditions" for resuming dialogue with Kim. The official's mention of the unchanged U.S. policy appears to refer to Washington's commitment to the North's denuclearization, though it was not specifically mentioned in the statement.
Trump has repeatedly expressed openness to resuming diplomacy with Kim, possibly aiming for a peace deal, amid speculation that he hopes to secure a Nobel Peace Prize. Kim has also signaled his willingness to reengage with Trump, noting that he personally has a "good" memory of the American president.
During his first term, Trump's personal diplomacy with the North Korean leader led to three in-person meetings between them-in Singapore in June 2018, in Hanoi in February 2019, and at the inter-Korean border truce village of Panmunjom in June 2019.