North Korea Open to Normalizing Ties If Trump Withdraws From Korean Peninsula

In an interview today in Geneva, Switzerland, North Korea’s Ambassador So Se Pyong expressed his country’s interest in ending the Korean War, technically still ongoing since it began in 1950. He also suggested that if President-elect Trump follows through on withdrawing from the Korean Peninsula, North Korea would be interested in normalizing ties with the United States.

Trump had suggested during the campaign that the US spends far too much defending rich nations like Japan and South Korea, and said he would considering pulling US troops off the Korean Peninsula. Last week, South Korean officials claimed Trump called to assure them that he wasn’t going to actually do so.

The ambassador insisted that absent a deal, North Korea will continue to pursue its nuclear program as a second track. North Korea has tested nuclear weapons underground, though it is unclear if they have anything in a deliverable size. North Korea often makes claims that their technically is far beyond what it actually is.

North Korea has, however, repeatedly expressed interest in a peace deal that would end the Korean War, and has repeatedly had those overtures rejected by US officials. Whether this changes under Trump, with or without a troop pullout, remains to be seen.