Trump Open to Engagement with North Korean Leader, White House Says

 

Trump Open to Engagement with North Korean Leader, White House Says The White House announced on Wednesday that President Donald Trump remains open to communication with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Formerly, Trump and Kim had three summits and exchanged friendly letters during Trump's first term in office, including a brief visit to North Korea in June 2019. "The president remains receptive to correspondence with Kim Jong Un," White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters. Trump and Kim held three summits during Trump's 2017-2021 first term and exchanged a number of what Trump called "beautiful" letters. In June 2019, Trump briefly stepped into North Korea from the demilitarized zone with South Korea. Little progress was made, however, at reining in North Korea's nuclear program, and Trump acknowledged in March that Pyongyang is a "nuclear power."

The attempts at rapprochement come after the election in South Korea of a new president, Lee Jae-myung, who has pledged to reopen dialogue with North Korea. Despite these gestures, little progress was made in reducing North Korea’s nuclear arsenal, and Trump acknowledged in March

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