North Korea And US In 'Direct Contact' Confirms Secretary Of State

The chances of negotiations between the US and North Korea were given a boost today after Secretary of State Rex Tillerson confirmed America is in 'direct contact' with Pyongyang.

Mr Tillerson said Washington was 'probing' the possibility of talks and to 'stay tuned'.

"We have lines of communications to Pyongyang," he said during a trip to China. "We're not in a dark situation."

Credit: PA Images

The announcement comes after Mr Trump said last month that 'talking [was] not the answer'.

The rhetoric between the two countries has become more heated in recent months as North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has continued to press ahead with his country's nuclear programme.

Earlier this month North Korea threated to reduce the US to 'ashes and darkness' in response to sanctions imposed by the UN following its recent nuclear test on 3 September.

Credit: PA Images

The weapon was believed to have been around five times larger than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki during World War II and designed to fit atop an intercontinental ballistic missile. Such a missile would be capable of reaching the USA.

Following that test, the first since he had assumed the presidency, Trump referred to the state as a 'rogue nation' that 'only understands one thing'.

Writing at the time, President Trump said: "North Korea has conducted a major nuclear test. Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States.

"North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success.

"South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!"

But according to Associated Press, the countries have been engaged in quiet discussions for months, with "diplomatic contact... occurring regularly" between the US envoy for North Korea policy and "a senior North Korean diplomat at the country's UN mission".

Sweden is reported to have played a prominent role within the negotiations as it is trusted by both countries.

In August, Ulv Hanssen from the Swedish Institute of International Affairs told Reuters that "Sweden [has served as a mediator] on numerous occasions before, especially in relation to imprisoned American."

Source: BBC

Featured Image Credit: PA Images

Topics: America, US News, Trump, USA, North Korea, US

James Dawson

James Dawson is a Journalist at LADbible. He has contributed articles to LADbible’s ‘Knowing Me, Knowing EU’ series on the EU referendum, the 'Electoral Dysfunction' series on the 2017 general election, the ‘U OK M8?’ series tackling mental health amongst young men, and for its ‘Climate Change’ initiative in partnership with National Geographic.

@thejaytoday