North Korea will negotiate with South Korea on security during the winter Olympics, Kim Jong-un announced in his New Year’s speech.
Frank Jannuzi, a former US State Department Official, told PBS NewsHour that Donald Trump should take credit for Kim Jong-un’s conciliatory message.
He said: “Kim Jong-un’s speech may represent the first positive outcome of the Trump administration’s maximum pressure and engagement strategy.
“The pressure in New York, the pressure from the UN Security Council, the diplomatic isolation may be bearing fruit.
“I don’t really care who takes credit. I think the US absolutely could take credit and I hope that they will because if their policy is working it could lead to tension reduction and the opportunity to make progress on the critical security issues that confront us.”
Mr Jannuzi also added that the relationship between the US and South Korea has never been stronger than now despite Moon Jae-in assuming a softer approach than Donald Trump.
He said: “President Moon Jae-in has adopted a softer approach to the North than has the Trump administration, but I think we should not worry too much.
“The South Korean-US alliance is as strong as I have ever seen it in 30 years of looking at that special partnership.”
In his New Year’s speech, Kim Jong-un announced that he is willing to come to the negotiating table with South Korea to talk about security during the winter Olympics.
He also called for peace in the Korean peninsula despite the military rhetoric in his speech.
He said: “When it comes to North-South relations, we should lower the military tensions on the Korean Peninsula to create a peaceful environment. Both the North and the South should make efforts.”
The comments followed a threat to Donald Trump when the North Korean president said he has “a nuclear button” always on his desk and he is ready to use it against the US should it be necessary.