Trump optimistic about ‘good talks’ with North Korea

U.S. President Donald Trump expressed optimism on Jan. 10 that a diplomatic opening with North Korea that emerged this week in talks with the South could lead to broader dialogue to quell tensions in the region.

Trump's upbeat mood after months of escalating threats over Pyongyang's nuclear and missile development programs came as the UN Security Council said it welcomes "possibilities for confidence-building and trust-building on the Korean peninsula" that emerged this week.

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"We have certainly problems with North Korea," Trump said at a news conference, but "a lot of good talks are going on right now. A lot of good energy... Hopefully, it will lead to success for the world, not just for our country, but for the world."

"Who knows where it leads?" he said.

The move toward dialogue began with an agreement between North and South Korea on Jan. 9 to reopen talks between their militaries and welcome a team from the North to the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, next month at the first formal talks between the two sides in more than two years.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in's office on Jan. 10 said that Trump indicated in a phone conversation that there would be no military action of any kind while the two Koreas continue to hold talks.

The White House said Moon and Trump agreed that, as long as the North refuses to discuss curbing its nuclear development, the global community should continue to exert "maximum pressure" through stiff sanctions imposed on Pyongyang by the UN council this year.

But, at the same time, the White House said, "Trump expressed his openness to holding talks between the United States and North Korea at the appropriate time, under the right circumstances."

Trump has previously scoffed at what he said was the futility of talking with the North.