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Seoul 'hopes for constructive talks' between U.S., N. Korea

March 02, 2018 19:11·
North Korea are 'open to talks with the US'

North Korea are 'open to talks with the US'

President Moon Jae-in, in a meeting with Kim Yong Chol on Sunday, urged Pyongyang to open dialogue with the United States as soon as possible - to which Kim responded by saying the North was "very willing" to hold talks.

North Korea accused the Donald Trump administration Sunday of elevating a war crisis on the peninsula through a set of tougher sanctions on Pyongyang despite Olympics-driven inter-Korean exchanges.

She also noted the importance of Pence meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the beginning of the games.

The White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end to its nuclear program after senior officials from Pyongyang visiting South Korea said on Sunday their government was open to talks with the United States.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with a delegation from the North shortly before the Games' closing ceremony.

The White House said its sanctions would continue.

The two Koreas agreed Tuesday that North Korean athletes will visit the South on March 7 via land route to join next month's Pyeongchang Winter Paralympics, in another sign of a thaw in inter-Korean relations.

We could be some way off any major discussions between them - we have heard of the North's readiness to talk to the United States before and it's led to nothing.

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A South Korean lawmaker briefed by the country's spy agency said on Friday that Kim was the "right person" for inter-Korean and denuclearization talks.

North Korea has not fired any missiles since November past year but it defends the weapons programmes as essential to deter USA aggression.

So far, Pyongyang has said its nuclear program is nonnegotiable.

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Unification Ministry spokesman Baik Tae-hyun said he hoped constructive talks between North Korea and the United States could begin when "an appropriate opportunity" arose.

Ironically, the hotel is named after Walton H. Walker, a four-star general who was the first commander of the United States Eighth Army and was a pivotal figure in the early days of the Korean War.

Last week it emerged that the North Koreans had canceled a meeting with Pence scheduled to take place on February 10 in South Korea. North Korea has denied the allegations.

"We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearisation".

On Friday, the Trump administration announced sanctions on more than 50 vessels, shipping companies and trade businesses to turn up the pressure on North Korea.

"We will never have face-to-face talks with [the US] even after 100 years or 200 years", the commentary read. "Sport brings people together in a very fragile world".

While the games appear to have paved the way for possible rapprochement between the Koreas, U.S. and North Korean officials have yet to make direct contact. But they still walked together.

After beating Sweden in the championship on Saturday, the US curling team led by John Shuster took the top step of the podium to receive their prizes.

He, however, attached no conditions for the talks, according to the presidential official.

His attendance surprised analysts because his role has nothing to do with either sports or inter-Korean relations.

Sanders joked she's going to enjoy the competition and some local food while she can, because she has to return quickly for White House press briefings.

But experts say arranging an inter-Korean summit would be hard after a year in which the North conducted its most powerful nuclear test and flight-tested intercontinental ballistic missiles that could, when perfected, target the USA mainland.

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