North Korea Not Interested in US Talks Just So Trump Can Brag About Them

North Korea doesn't want talks that don't benefit them

High-ranking North Korean official Kim Kye-gwan has issued a statement on Monday saying that North Korea is not interested in talks with the US unless the Trump Administration reverses its hostility and North Korea stands to benefit from it.

In particular, Kim added that North Korea had no interest in holding direct talks with the US “just so President Trump had something to boast about.” North Korea would only have talks that bring them something.

The lack of the US giving North Korea anything in return is a big reason why talks haven’t made progress in some time. The US has expressed a willingness for more talks, but has shown no sign they’ll let North Korea get sanctions relief or anything in return.

Though there had been some talk of another summit in December, North Korea seems to be backing away from that unless the US commits to taking a different approach from the previous meetings, which were largely done with an eye toward global media praise.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.