White House official stresses shipbuilding cooperation with S. Korea, need to reward investors

U.S. spokesperson Tommy Pigott clarified on Friday that President Donald Trump does not consider diplomatic talks with North Korea to be a concession, and is prepared to engage with the regime if it benefits U.S. national interests. Pigott made these remarks at a press conference in Washington when asked about the U.S. government's support for Trump's willingness to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un amidst renewed interest in the possibility of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

Pigott emphasized that the decision to engage in discussions with North Korea is driven by whether it aligns with U.S. national interests, stating, "If it's in our national interest to talk to someone, he's going to talk with them." This sentiment aligns with Trump's recent announcement of his intention to meet with Kim later this year, with the White House maintaining that the president is open to talks with the North Korean leader without any preconditions.

The spokesperson also reiterated the U.S.'s commitment to the complete denuclearization of North Korea as a core policy objective. However, when asked about possible behind-the-scenes negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang, Pigott declined to disclose any information, citing the department's general principle of not discussing sensitive diplomatic conversations involving various countries.

Pigott also expressed optimism about recent announcements regarding South Korean investment in the U.S., including energy projects such as a gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants, and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska. However, he refrained from directly addressing apparent discrepancies between the U.S. and South Korea's descriptions of the investment plans, stating that he had not seen the South Korean government's specific remarks on the matter.