Posted on : Jan.20,2018 15:23 KST
Modified on : Jan.20,2018 15:44 KST
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Chief of Staff John Kelly listens to President Donald Trump speak at the White House on Jan. 18. (Yonhap News)
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Trump administration still has not given clear indicators of direct dialogue with Kim Jong-un
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Chief of Staff John Kelly listens to President Donald Trump speak at the White House on Jan. 18. (Yonhap News)
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On Jan. 17, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly said that the problem with the North Korean nuclear issue is that “at this point in time is there’s no road left. We have to deal with this guy.”
When asked during an interview with Fox News whether the US would go to war if Kim Jong-un refuses to give up nuclear weapons, Kelly said, “I hope not… [the North Korean nuclear issue] is one of those things that landed on this president’s lap… [F]or 25 years… we’ve kicked the can down the road.”
“He cannot have a deliverable atomic weapon that can reach the United States reliably…. [T]he president would much prefer to do this in alliance with every other nation of good will, to convince this guy that it is not in his interests,” Kelly went on to say. Kelly’s remarks appear to reflect the mood inside the US that the North Korean issue cannot be resolved without dealing with Kim in one way or another. But it’s ambiguous whether these remarks imply direct negotiations with Kim.
Kelly declined to answer a question about whether Trump had spoken with Kim, only remarking that “There are open channels, but I prefer not to comment on that.”
“But there are a lot of people trying to help out here. And the president calls numerous national leaders, Chinese, as an example, on a regular basis. Japan, Korea, others, on a regular basis,” the chief of staff added.
During an interview with Reuters on Jan. 17, Trump said, “Well, I’d sit down [at the negotiating table with Kim Jong-un] but I‘m not sure that sitting down will solve the problem.”
By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent
Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]
