Politics
08:23, 26-Feb-2018
US says any talks with DPRK must lead to denuclearization
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The White House said any talks with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) 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.
The DPRK's delegation, in PyeongChang for the Winter Olympics closing ceremony, met at an undisclosed location with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, and expressed willingness to hold talks with the US, Moon's office said in a statement.
The Pyongyang delegation said developments in inter-Korean relations and between the DPRK and the US should go hand in hand, the statement reads.
This image released on Nov. 29, 2017 by the DPRK state media shows the test-fire of the country's Hwasong-15 long-range ballistic missile. /VCG Photo
This image released on Nov. 29, 2017 by the DPRK state media shows the test-fire of the country's Hwasong-15 long-range ballistic missile. /VCG Photo
The Olympics gave a boost to recent engagement between the two sides after more than a year of sharply rising tensions over the DPRK's missile program and its sixth and largest nuclear test in defiance of UN sanctions.
US President Donald Trump has announced the largest package of sanctions against Pyongyang.
On Sunday, Pyongyang's state media accused the US of provoking confrontation on the Korean Peninsula with the sanctions.
But the White House said its sanctions would continue.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in encounters guests at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Feb. 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
South Korean President Moon Jae-in encounters guests at the closing ceremony of the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympic Games, Feb. 25, 2018. /VCG Photo
"We will see if Pyongyang's message today, that it is willing to hold talks, represents the first steps along the path to denuclearization," it said.
At Sunday's closing ceremony at PyeongChang, Moon, the DPRK's delegation including Kim Yong Chol, vice chairman of the Central Committee of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea, and Ivanka Trump, US President Donald Trump's daughter, were among guests on Sunday.
But there were no interactions between Ivanka Trump and the DPRK's delegation.
Source(s): Reuters