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Diplomat: North Korea Open To Halting Nuclear And Ballistic Missile Tests

REUTERS/Sue-Lin Wong

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Ryan Pickrell China/Asia Pacific Reporter
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A North Korean diplomat suggested Wednesday that the country is willing to stop testing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles under certain conditions.

North Korea Ambassador to India Kye Chun-yong told reporters Pyongyang is open to talks and suspending its weapons testing if very specific conditions are met.

“Under the certain circumstances, we are willing to talk in terms of freezing our nuclear and missile testing,” Kye told India’s WION television station, according to Yonhap News Agency.

He explained that one of the conditions would be the suspension of large joint military exercises involving U.S. and South Korean forces.

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North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests over the past decade. The North has also launched over a dozen missiles this year. While some were fired as part of a military drill, likely in response to joint exercises in South Korea, the other launches were tests of new and upgraded missile systems.

The reclusive regime has tested new short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles, as well as coastal defense cruise missiles and surface-to-air missiles. The North is believed to be preparing to test an intercontinental ballistic missile.

It is unclear if the U.S. would be open to talks with North Korea.

President Donald Trump has stated that he would be open to meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un under the right conditions, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis both advocating for a diplomatic solution.

North Korea released Otto Warmbier, a student detained for over a year, June 12. He returned home in a coma with severe and debilitating brain damage and died Monday. In the wake of Warmbier’s death, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said the U.S. is clearly “moving further away, not closer” to talks with North Korea.

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