The Online Newspaper of Lakewood High School

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

Lakewood Times

    North Korea Willing to Talk to U.S. About Nukes

    North+Korea+Willing+to+Talk+to+U.S.+About+Nukes

    In a stunning turn of events and fortune, North Korea would be willing to talk the U.S. about giving up their nuclear weapons and programs. North Korean officials said this on Tuesday, March 6, while in meetings with South Korean officials. That meeting took place in North Korea’s capital, Pyongyang, was the first time that North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un met with South Korean officials since taking power of the regime in 2011.

    According to South Korea’s National Security Chief, Chung Eui-yong, North Korea also agreed to put a pause on nuclear and missile tests while participating in conversations with South Korea or the U.S. North Korea made clear at the meetings that they would have no reason to retain their weapons if “the military threat to North Korea is resolved” and if their safety can be guaranteed, according to Chung.

    North Korea’s willingness to engage in discussions centered around “an open-ended dialogue to discuss the issue of denuclearization and to normalize relations with North Korea” is quite the policy reversal on North Korea’s part, as they declared that they could wipe the U.S. off the face of the Earth just a few months ago. However, the Trump Administration has long maintained that they would engage in talks with North Korea only if they put denuclearization on the table, which they appear to be doing.

    The news comes as a big win for South Korea and President Moon Jae-in, who looked to use the Winter Olympic Games in his home country as a way to thaw relations between the two countries. Moon, who was elected last year after South Korea’s former president was ousted in a corruption, has been a staunch advocate of dialogue and engagement between the two countries, and he appears to be successful so far. However, whether any progress comes from the talks or not still remains to be seen.

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