Tillerson: The U.S. is Ready to Negotiate with North Korea if Missile Tests Stop

On Monday, August 7, the U.S. Secretary of State opened the door for negotiations with North Korea, stating that if Pyongyang ends its recent missile tests, the U.S. is ready to engage in dialogue. According to Reuters, Rex Tillerson's remarks made during a regional meeting in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, represent the latest U.S. effort to control North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. Following two intercontinental ballistic missile tests by North Korea in July, the UN Security Council approved the toughest sanctions yet against Pyongyang on Saturday. The new sanctions resolution was proposed by Washington. However, on Monday, the U.S. Secretary of State adopted a more conciliatory stance. He told reporters, "Whenever the situation returns to normal, we will sit down and have a conversation about North Korea's future in a way that they feel secure and can progress economically." Mr. Tillerson added, "The best signal North Korea can give us is to stop missile tests in order to negotiate." He emphasized that "other communication tools" are open to Pyongyang. North Korea has yet to respond to the U.S. Secretary of State's remarks, but the country reacted sharply to the new UN sanctions, stating that it will not negotiate as long as it is threatened by the United States. The country claims it is ready to give the U.S. a "hard lesson" if attacked. The UN Security Council sanctions against North Korea were unanimously approved to pressure the country to end its nuclear program. These sanctions could further strain North Korea's economy, reducing its annual export revenue of $3 billion to one-third. The new sanctions prohibit North Korea from exporting coal, iron, iron ore, lead, lead ore, and seafood. Countries are also prohibited from increasing the number of North Korean workers in their territories, and forming any joint ventures with North Korea or making new investments in joint companies with the country is banned. The United States has remained in a state of war with North Korea since the Korean War from 1950 to 1953, which led to the militarization of the border between the two Koreas. Efforts by the Trump administration to pressure North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile ambitions have so far yielded little result, with Pyongyang only increasing its tests, including two intercontinental ballistic missile tests last month. On Monday, the U.S. Secretary of State stated that stopping North Korea's missile tests, which have raised concerns for its neighbors South Korea and Japan, is the first step toward dialogue. He added that Washington has not set a specific timeline for North Korea to stop its missile tests. Tillerson noted that China's and Russia's support for the sanctions resolution sends a clear message to North Korea about what it can expect. Meanwhile, Lindsay Walters, a White House spokesperson, announced on Monday that Donald Trump had a one-hour phone conversation with Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis regarding North Korea. No report on the details of these discussions has been released yet.