President Donald Trump is willing to engage in discussions with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un “without any preconditions,” according to a White House source, as South Korea’s unification minister issued a stark warning that Pyongyang’s missiles could reach the US mainland.
A White House representative told Fox News Digital, “During his first term, President Trump held three landmark summits with North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un, contributing to stability on the Korean Peninsula. The US policy regarding North Korea remains unchanged. President Trump is still open to talks with Kim Jong Un, with no preconditions.”
In Berlin this week, South Korea’s Unification Minister Chung Dong-young bluntly remarked that “North Korea has emerged as one of the three nations capable of attacking the US mainland,” as per the Yonhap News Agency. He emphasized, “What needs to be acknowledged should be recognized rationally.”
The White House did not respond to Fox News Digital’s inquiry regarding Chung’s assertions.
Chung also indicated that North Korea’s “strategic position is different” compared to 2018, the year Trump and Kim met for their initial summit in Singapore.
<p“Recognizing this reality should form the basis for engaging with the regime,” Chung stated during a press conference.
Experts, however, note that North Korea has possessed the capacity to target the US mainland with intercontinental ballistic missiles for an extended period.
Bob Peters, a senior research fellow for strategic deterrence at the Heritage Foundation, remarked, “They have been testing ICBMs for a long time.”
He continued, “The longstanding question is whether they have a warhead that can fit beneath the nose cone of an ICBM, which travels exo-atmospherically, descends, and strikes a target with a reasonable degree of accuracy, and subsequently detonates to produce a nuclear yield. That has been the central issue — whether they possess that capability. The South Korean minister’s comments did not seem to suggest they do.”
Meanwhile, Kim has expressed that dialogue with the US is viable, but only on his terms. “If the United States relinquishes its nonsensical obsession with denuclearizing us and recognizes reality, desiring true peaceful coexistence, there would be no reason for us not to meet with the United States,” Kim was quoted by state media.
A potential meeting with Kim would mark Trump’s fourth encounter with the North Korean leader, during a period when North Korea has once again adopted a more belligerent stance towards US interests.
In July, the White House affirmed that Trump “remains open to engaging with Leader Kim to achieve a fully denuclearized North Korea.” Nonetheless, North Korea countered that it would not engage with the US president if denuclearization was to be a prerequisite.
On Monday, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Son Gyong told the United Nations General Assembly that his nation would never abandon its nuclear program, as Reuters reported.
Trump is scheduled to visit Asia later this month for an economic leaders’ summit alongside South Korean President Lee Jae-myung. A senior US official indicated that there are currently no plans for a meeting with Kim at the Demilitarized Zone.
Reports suggest Trump may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit scheduled for October 30-November 1, although details are still in flux.
During a call last month, Xi extended an invitation for Trump and First Lady Melania Trump to visit China, to which Trump reciprocated.
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The same official noted that nuclear talks’ advancement relies on China’s actions. “The first essential step is for China to acknowledge its own nuclear programs and to be more transparent,” the official stated.
US intelligence estimates place China’s nuclear arsenal at around 600 warheads in 2024, anticipating it could reach 1,000 by 2030.
North Korea is estimated to possess approximately 50 warheads, with sufficient fissile material for up to 90.
Last year, Pyongyang proclaimed an “irreversible hegemonic position” following the test-launch of its Hwasong-19 intercontinental ballistic missile, which it claims can strike the US mainland.
Trump is enhancing deterrence while still maintaining the option of “dialogue without preconditions.”
