Trump casts doubts on talks with North Korea

Trump casts doubts on talks with North Korea. January. 19, 2018 08:53. by Jeong-Hun Park sunshade@donga.com.

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he is not sure that the North Korean nuclear issue could be solved through dialogue. “Well, I’d sit down (at the negotiation table) but I‘m not sure that sitting down will solve the problem,” said President Trump on Wednesday (local time) at a Reuters interview at the White House. “I‘m not sure that talks will lead to anything meaningful. They’ve talked for 25 years and they’ve taken advantage of our presidents, of our previous presidents. Hopefully the North Korean nuclear issue can be done in a peaceful way but it’s very possible that it can’t.”

“We’re playing a very, very hard game of poker and you don’t want to reveal your hand,” he replied to a question of whether he has considered a limited pre-emptive strike against North Korea. On whether North Korea could hit the U.S. mainland with a missile, he said, “I don’t think - they’re not there yet, but they’re close. And they get closer every day.” This comment has triggered controversy as it coincides with reports from the White House and the Republicans of actively considering military options against North Korea.

"The administration is very seriously looking at what would be involved with military options when it comes to North Korea," Mac Thornberry, chair of the House Armed Services Committee, told reporters Tuesday. The New York Times has previously reported that the United States is reinforcing training to prepare for military conflict with North Korea.