US welcomes inter-Korean talks with restraint

World
Europe

The United States on Tuesday hailed the first talks held by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea in over two years as a positive sign, but did not voice full support.

The White House welcomed the senior-level dialogue, during which the two Koreas agreed to hold separate military talks, with the DPRK also consenting to send a delegation to the Winter Olympics in the South next month.

"North Korean (DPRK's) participation is an opportunity for the regime to see the value of ending its international isolation by denuclearizing," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told reporters on Tuesday.

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders conducts the daily news conference in the James Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House, Washington, DC, January 9, 2018. /VCG Photo

"Clearly this is a positive development," said US State Department Spokesperson Steve Goldstein at a briefing Tuesday afternoon.

"We would like nuclear talks to occur," said Goldstein, adding that this is "a good first step in that process."

Over the weekend, US President Donald Trump expressed his willingness to talk with DPRK leader Kim Jong Un and supported the upcoming dialogues.

"I always believe in talking," Trump told reporters at Camp David on Saturday when asked whether he was willing to engage in phone talks with Kim right now.

Ri Son-gwon (L‍), chairman of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), shakes hands with South Korean Unification Minister Cho Myoung-gyon in the truce village of Panmunjom, January 9, 2018. /Xinhua Photo

However, both Trump and other US officials stopped short of considering a direct talk between the United States and the DPRK without preconditions.

Trump said any talks would come with prerequisites.

"Talks are vital... but it has to occur with the conditions that we outlined," said Goldstein.

Experts urged Washington to further commit itself to the peace-making process and final denuclearization of the peninsula.

US scholar on DPRK affairs John Delury argued that actual negotiations on denuclearization, arms control and peace mechanisms will require direct US participation.

"The sooner the Trump administration follows (South Korean President) Moon's lead in opening a direct channel to Pyongyang, the better," he in an editorial published on the Foreign Affairs website earlier this week.

Source(s): Xinhua News Agency