Trump 'would talk to Kim' but hopes North Korea talks with South will STOP threat of WW3
DONALD Trump has revealed he would talk to Kim Jong-un but hopes the discussions between South and North Korea will end the rising threat of war.
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The US President said that he hopes talks between North and South Korea will go further than just the Winter Olympics when they meet for high-level talks next weeks.
Trump also told reporters at Camp David that he was willing to talk to the leader of the dictator-run state, Kim Jong-un under the right conditions.
Mr Trump said: "I would love to see them take it beyond the Olympics.
“And at the appropriate time, we'll get involved."
North and South Korea are set to meet on Tuesday at the truce village of Panmunjom to talk about the hermit kingdoms possible participation in next month’s Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea.
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This will be the first time the nations have talked since December 2015.
When Trump was asked whether he was willing to speak he said: "Sure, I always believe in talking."
He went on to add: "He knows I'm not messing around, not even a little bit."
Seoul has said that the upcoming talks will focus on the Winter Olympics amid concerns amongst critics who have said that Pyongyang is trying to drive a wedge in the Seoul-Washington alliance.
Tanks on move near North Korea border as Kim and Trump gear up for WAR
Fri, January 5, 2018North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reopened a key cross-border communication channel with South Korea for the first time in nearly two years Wednesday as the rivals explored the possibility of sitting down and talking after months of acrimony and fears of war
South Korean army's K-55 self-propelled howitzers take positions during a military exercise
The allies have pursued a campaign of sanctions and pressure to force North Korea to abandon its weapons program.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee representative Ed Royce said the US President must keep “pressure” on the secretive state.
He said: “I think it’s very important we keep the pressure up.
“Look if the talks are going on during the Olympic Games in February maybe that quiets the neighbourhood there for a bit.”
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North Korea has refused to give up developing its military arsenal despite the UN decision to hit the regime with a new series of sanctions targeting Pyongyang's economy and trade.
Mr Royce said he was concerned that if South Korea concede even a little bit during talks with Kim Jong-un, the rogue state’s leader will channel the resources into his nuclear arsenal.
He said: “But my main concern is that South Korea not give away anything such as resources or money to North Korea in any of these talks.
“Why? Because the money always finds its way back into their nuclear weapons programme.
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US and South Korea meet for winter drill on North Korea's doorstep
Wed, December 20, 2017The winter training exercise originally was designed to prepare for possible North Korea attacks and is annually held by soldiers of South Korea's and the U.S. Marine Corps
A South Korean Marine aims his rifle on a snowy hill during a joint winter drill with US Marines in Pyeongchang
“Virtually 100 percent of whatever gets into the hands of Kim Jong-un is deployed for his military or his ICBM and nuclear weapons programme.
“That’s why we’ve got to be so careful in not allowing resources to be transferred to that regime.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-In said that “overly optimistic expectations” were “undesirable” but added: “We will do our best to make the Pyeongchang Olympics an Olympics for peace and settle the nuclear issue peacefully.”
