Talking to Kim Jong Un Could Help Freeze His Nuclear Ambitions

"OPINION - North Korea's Kim Jong Un publicly announced that he's prepared to meet with President Donald Trump: "If the US drops its hollow obsession with denuclearization and wants to pursue peaceful coexistence with North Korea based on the recognition of reality, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the US. Personally, I still have a good memory of US President Trump." The Korean Central News Agency published Mr. Kim's comments, made a few days ago at a parliamentary meeting in Pyongyang."

"When the Six Party Talks with North Korea commenced in 2003, North Korea's principal representative to the Talks often mentioned that North Korea wanted nuclear weapons as a deterrent, never to be used for offensive purposes. They asked to be treated as we treated Pakistan, a country that has good relations with the U.S. The North Korean representative said North Korea wanted a good, normal relationship with the U.S., promising to be a good partner. with the U.S. North Korea has consistently been told that the U.S. would never accept North Korea as a nuclear weapons state. But with complete and verifiable denuclearization, North Korea would receive security assurances, sanctions relief, economic development assistance, to include the provision of Light Water Reactors for civilian purposes and eventual normalization of relations with the U.S. Mr. Kim's father, Kim Jong il, seemingly accepted this U.S. offer and in September 2005, North Korea did agree to a Joint Statement committing North Korea to complete and verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."

Kim Jong Un offered conditional diplomacy with the United States, saying he would meet President Trump if Washington abandons its insistence on denuclearization and recognizes current realities. North Korea historically sought nuclear weapons as a deterrent and requested treatment comparable to Pakistan, while expressing a desire for normal, cooperative relations with the U.S. The U.S. has insisted it will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state but offered security guarantees, sanctions relief, economic aid, and civilian reactors in exchange for complete, verifiable denuclearization. North Korea agreed to a 2005 joint denuclearization statement but has since built a substantial arsenal estimated at 50–60 warheads.

Read at The Cipher Brief