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| North Korean leader Kim Jong-un reads a letter sent from U.S. President Donald Trump at his office in this photo provided by the North's Korean Central News Agency, Sunday. Yonhap |
By Lee Min-hyung
The United States and North Korea are exchanging positive signals to resume their suspended nuclear talks possibly in the near future.
It was not until recently that the prospect arose. Last week, the leaders from the two countries engaged in letter correspondence, in their bid to break the months-long stalemate in their dialogue on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un expressed satisfaction on the content of each other's letters, raising hopes further for their third meeting.
On Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo reiterated Washington's willingness to restart the talks "in no time."
"We are ready to go. We are literally prepared to go at a moment's notice if the North Koreans indicate that they're prepared for those discussions," Pompeo told reporters at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland.
He also said the exchange of letters will "provide a good foundation" for the two sides to begin talks again.
"We have been working to lay the foundations for that since Hanoi. We think we're in a better place. I think the remarks you saw out of North Korea this morning suggest that, that may well be a very real possibility."
In recent months, the denuclearization dialogue hit a snag in the wake of the breakdown of the Hanoi summit between the two leaders.
Until recently, Pyongyang blamed Washington for the failed summit, urging the latter to change its "dialogue style" for resumption of the stalled dialogue. The North sought to take a phased approach in negotiations with the U.S. and seek a partial lifting of sanctions in exchange for its step-by-step denuclearization.
But the U.S., for its part, also remained firm in its determination not to accept the North's demands before Pyongyang strikes a one-shot big deal with Washington.
The content of the letters between the two leaders is still unknown.
Local experts said both leaders were likely to have offered to seek a middle ground in nuclear negotiations through the letters.
"North Korea may have offered to disclose more of its nuclear facilities, other than the Yongbyon nuclear test site, and allow U.S. experts to inspect them," Rep. Kim Jong-dae of the Justice Party said in a local radio interview, Monday.
"The U.S. also might have taken a step back from its previous posture, and offered to be more flexible in reviewing the North's sanctions-related matters," he said. "My view is that the U.S. may take a flexible posture in sanctions imposed on the North, particularly when it comes to issues on humanitarian support and livelihood of North Korean citizens."
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