North Korea can ask to talk about what shape of table they want to sit at, as long as they come to the table, Rex Tillerson the US Secretary of State said.
North Korea sparked fears of the outbreak of World War 3 after testing yet another missile as the rogue state’s despot leader promises to build an arsenal of deadly nuclear weapons.
Speaking at the 2017 Atlantic Council-Korea Foundation Forum in Washington on Tuesday, Mr Tillerson said the United States is “ready” to talk to North Korea about anything as long as they come to the table.
He said: “When do the talks begin? We’ve said from the diplomatic side, we’re ready to talk anytime North Korea would like to talk.
“And we’re ready to have the first meeting without precondition, let’s just meet.”
Mr Tillerson said they could talk about the weather or the shape of the table if that is what North Korea wanted to do as long as they came to the table.
He said: “We can talk about the weather if you want, we can talk about whether it’s going to be a square table or a round table if that’s what you’re excited about.
“But can we at least sit down and see each other face to face and then we can begin to lay out a map, a roadmap, of what we might be willing to work towards.”
Mr Tillerson also stressed that it was not “realistic” to expect North Korea to come to the table ready to give up their nuclear agenda.
He said: “I don’t think, it’s not realistic to say we’re only going to talk if you come to the table ready to give up your program.
“They have too much invested in it and the President’s very realistic about that as well.”
The Korean Central News Agency revealed on Tuesday that Kim Jong-un called on workers to up efforts to improve its nuclear arsenal.
Kim Jong-un asked workers to make “more of the latest weapons and equipment” and to “booster up the nuclear force in quality and quantity”.