U.S. official says Trump does not view talks with N. Korea as 'concession'

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WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump does not view talks with North Korea as a "concession" and is willing to engage Pyongyang if doing so serves U.S. national interests, the State Department spokesperson said Friday.

Tommy Pigott, spokesperson for the State Department, made the remarks when asked how the U.S. government is supporting Trump's stated willingness to meet Kim amid renewed attention to the prospects of diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang.

"The determination comes from a president who doesn't believe talking to someone is a concession," Pigott said during a meeting with foreign reporters in Washington. "If it's in our national interest to talk to someone, he's going to talk with them."

Trump has recently expressed his intention to meet Kim later this year, with the White House reiterating that the president remains open to talks with the North Korean leader "without any preconditions."

Pigott also said the U.S. remains committed to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea.

"Our policy regarding the complete denuclearization of North Korea remains the same," Pigott said. "That is something that we remain committed to."

Asked whether Washington and Pyongyang have been engaged in behind-the-scenes contacts, Pigott said he had "nothing to announce at this time."

This photo, taken on June 30, 2019, shows U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. (Yonhap)

When pressed again on whether there have been contacts between U.S. and North Korean officials, Pigott declined to provide details, noting that, as a general principle, the department does not discuss sensitive diplomatic conversations involving various countries.

Pigott also welcomed recent announcements concerning South Korean investment in the U.S., including energy projects, while declining to directly address apparent differences between Washington and Seoul over the status of some proposed investments.

"We're looking forward to seeing these investments come to fruition," he said, calling them a "true win-win" for the United States and South Korea.

Trump on Wednesday unveiled South Korea's U.S. investment projects under last year's bilateral trade agreement: the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska.

South Korea's industry ministry, however, said the Alaska LNG project had not yet been finalized, stressing that its commercial viability and other factors would need to be reviewed before any investment decision is made.

Asked specifically about differences between U.S. and South Korean descriptions of the investment plans, Pigott said he had not seen the South Korean government's specific remarks.

odissy@yna.co.kr (END)

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U.S. official says Trump would consider meeting anybody if it serves U.S. interests amid N.K. dialogue prospects

U.S. official says Trump does not view talks with N. Korea as 'concession'

这将使谷歌能够向您展示与您的搜索匹配或相关的韩联社新闻文章

华盛顿，10月2日（韩联社）——美国国务院发言人周五表示，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普并不认为与朝鲜的对话是一种“让步”，如果这样做符合美国的国家利益，他愿意与平壤接触。

美国国务院发言人汤米·皮戈特在被问及美国政府如何支持特朗普表示愿意与金正恩会面时发表了上述言论。此前，外界再次关注华盛顿和平壤之间的外交前景。

“总统的决心在于，他认为与人对话并非让步，”皮戈特在华盛顿会见外国记者时说。“如果与人对话符合我们的国家利益，他就会与他们对话。”

特朗普最近表示有意在今年晚些时候与金正恩会面，白宫重申，总统仍然愿意与朝鲜领导人进行“无任何先决条件”的会谈。

皮戈特还表示，美国仍然致力于朝鲜的“完全”无核化。

皮戈特说：“我们关于朝鲜完全无核化的政策保持不变。我们仍然致力于此。”

当被问及华盛顿和平壤是否一直在进行幕后接触时，皮戈特表示他“目前没有什么可以宣布的”。

这张照片拍摄于2019年6月30日，照片显示美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在朝韩边境板门店会晤期间与朝鲜领导人金正恩握手。（韩联社）

当被再次追问美国和朝鲜官员之间是否有过接触时，皮戈特拒绝提供细节，并指出，作为一项一般原则，国务院不会讨论涉及各个国家的敏感外交对话。

皮戈特也对韩国近期在美国的投资，包括能源项目，表示欢迎，但他拒绝直接回应华盛顿和首尔在一些拟议投资项目的地位上存在的明显分歧。

“我们期待看到这些投资取得成果，”他说道，并称这些投资对美国和韩国来说是“真正的双赢”。

特朗普周三公布了韩国根据去年双边贸易协定在美国的投资项目：在德克萨斯州建设一座燃气发电厂、八座大型核电站以及在阿拉斯加建设一个液化天然气（LNG）项目。

然而，韩国产业通商资源部表示，阿拉斯加液化天然气项目尚未最终确定，并强调在做出任何投资决定之前，需要审查其商业可行性和其他因素。

当被问及美国和韩国对投资计划的描述有何不同时，皮戈特表示，他还没有看到韩国政府的具体评论。

odissy@yna.co.kr (完)

两名美国议员对特朗普重启与朝鲜领导人金正恩对话的努力表示欢迎。

（导语）特朗普称朝鲜领导人金正恩拥有“相当大的”核能力，只要他还在位，朝鲜就不会有事。

美国官员称，鉴于朝韩对话前景，如果符合美国利益，特朗普会考虑与任何人会面。

美国官员称特朗普不认为与朝鲜的会谈是“让步”。