UNITED STATES—The North Korean government has extended an invitation for President Trump to meet face-to-face with the nation’s leader, Kim Jong Un. According to reports, the president plans to accept the invitation.
White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders indicated in a statement on Thursday, March 8, that an in-person meeting between the two leaders would take place within the coming months “at a place and time to be determined.”
Kim Jong Un extended the invitation through envoys of the South Korean government during a recent two-day visit to the north. Chung Eui-yong, the national security advisor of South Korea, passed along Kim’s offer when they briefed the White House on their recent trip.
“North Korea has clearly expressed its intention for denuclearization on the Korean peninsula, and if there is no military threat and North Korea’s regime security is promised, they have clarified that there is no reason to hold nuclear weapons,” said South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s office in a statement.
The United States and North Korea have exchanged threats against each other in recent months. Kim Jong Un’s development of a miniaturized nuclear missile and the country’s subsequent missile tests prompted President Trump to respond stating, “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen… he has been very threatening beyond a normal state. They will be met with fire, fury, and frankly, power the likes of which this world has never seen before.”
Vice President Mike Pence stated the meeting “is evidence that President [Donald] Trump’s strategy to isolate the Kim regime is working.”
