N.Korea Tells U.S. It is Prepared to Discuss Denuclearization

U.S. and North Korean officials have held secret contacts recently in which Pyongyang directly confirmed its willingness to hold the unprecedented summit, the official told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The communications, still at a preliminary stage, have involved State Department officials talking to North Korea apparently through its United Nations mission, and intelligence officers from both sides using a separate backchannel, the official said.

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Until now, the United States had relied mostly on ally South Korea's assurance of Kim's intentions.

South Korean envoys visited Washington last month to convey Kim's invitation to meet. Trump, who has exchanged bellicose threats with Kim in the past year, surprised the world by quickly agreeing to meet Kim to discuss the crisis over Pyongyang's development of nuclear weapons capable of hitting the United States.

But North Korea has not broken its public silence on the summit, which U.S. officials say is being planned for May. There was no immediate word on the possible venue for the talks, which would be the first ever between a sitting U.S. president and North Korean leader.

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The U.S. official declined to say exactly when the U.S.-North Korea communications had taken place but said the two sides had held multiple direct contacts.

"The U.S. has confirmed that Kim Jong Un is willing to discuss the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula‎," said a second U.S. official.

South Korea's presidential Blue House welcomed the communication between North Korea and the United States, with one official saying the development was "positive".

"We are aware contact between North Korea and the United States is going well," said another Blue House official on condition of anonymity.

"We don't know, however, up to what extent information is being shared between the two."

REUTERS