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SEOUL: North Korea wants to restart nuclear talks with the United States if Donald Trump is re-elected president and is working on a new negotiating strategy, a senior North Korean diplomat who recently defected to South Korea told Reuters.
Last month, news of Lee Il-kyu’s escape from Cuba captured global attention. He was the highest-ranking North Korean diplomat to defect to South Korea since 2016.
In his first interview with international media, Ri Yong-ho said North Korea has listed Russia, the United States and Japan as the top priorities of its foreign policy this year and in the future.
Lee said that while strengthening ties with Russia, Pyongyang is also eager to restart nuclear talks if Trump, who adopted fierce brinkmanship and unprecedented diplomacy toward North Korea during his last presidency, wins re-election in November.
Ri Yong-ho said Pyongyang diplomats are developing a strategy for the scenario, with the goal of lifting sanctions on its weapons programs, removing its designation as a state sponsor of terrorism and securing economic aid.
His comments suggest a possible U-turn by North Korea, which has recently abandoned the possibility of dialogue with the United States and warned of armed confrontation.
In 2019, a summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and Trump in Vietnam collapsed over sanctions, which Ri Yong-ho blamed in part on Kim’s decision to entrust nuclear diplomacy to “inexperienced and clueless” military commanders.
“Kim Jong-un doesn’t understand international relations and diplomacy very well, and doesn’t know how to make strategic judgments,” he said.
“This time the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will definitely have power and control, and it will not be so easy for Trump to tie North Korea’s hands for another four years without giving anything in return.”
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