North Korea rejects US preconditions for holding talks

SEOUL, South Korea – North Korea said Saturday it is willing to have talks with the United States, but that it rejects preconditions and Washington's demands that it must first demonstrate its willingness to denuclearize.

During the closing ceremony for the recently concluded Olympics in South Korea, the office of South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced that a North Korean delegate to the Olympics said his country is willing to hold talks with the US President Donald Trump responded by saying talks will happen only "under the right conditions."

The Trump administration's position is that North Korea must show a real commitment toward ending its nuclear and missile programs before any talks can take place. The US has applied a series of sanctions in what it says is a "maximum pressure campaign" to force North Korea to disarm.

On Saturday, the spokesperson for North Korea's foreign ministry said the North would not accept preconditions for talks.