N Korea hails warmth with South

US sends conflicting signals over Pyongyang diplomacy

FE Team | Published: February 13, 2018 22:25:45

PYONGYANG, Feb 13 (BBC): North Korea's leader has called for a "further livening up" of the "warm climate of reconciliation" with the South created by the Winter Olympics.
Kim Jong-un, whose nuclear bomb and missile tests have stoked international tension, praised the South for hosting his state at the games in Pyeongchang.
Kim's apparent Games charm offensive was led by his sister Kim Yo-jong.
South Korean President President Moon Jae-in has meanwhile said the US is open to talking with the North.
He did not elaborate and may have been referring to a remark by US Vice-President Mike Pence on his flight back to Washington from the Games. While the North's attendance at the Games has been seen as marking a major warming in relations, there have also been concerns that it has allowed it to win a propaganda victory. He thanked the South for "specially prioritising" the North's attendance at the Games, North Korean state news agency KCNA reports. He also gave "important instructions" on how to "liven up" the "warm climate of reconciliation and dialogue".
The two states have never signed a peace treaty and are in a constant state of mutual distrust.
A Reuters report adds: North Korea's leader said he wants to boost the "warm climate of reconciliation and dialogue" with South Korea after his high-level delegation returned from a visit to the South, as his foes reiterated the need to keep up maximum pressure and sanctions.
Kim Jong Un gave instructions for measures aimed at more inter-Korean engagement after his younger sister Kim Yo Jong led a three-day visit to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, North Korea's state media reported on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, The United States (US) has appeared to endorse closer post-Olympics engagement between South and North Korea with an eye to eventual US-North Korean talks, but has agreed with Seoul that sanctions must be intensified to push Pyongyang to negotiate an end to its nuclear weapons programme.
The prospect of negotiations comes after months of tensions over North Korea's nuclear and missile programmes, in which US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un traded insults and threats while the UN tightened sanctions.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump discussed North Korea by phone on Monday, but the discussion was not in-depth, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Tuesday.