Let's begin with the post-Olympics diplomacy between the U.S. and North Korea that's being meditated by South Korea. Pyongyang claims it's up for talks,... but Washington insists a meeting can only happen when the North makes a solid commitment to abandon its nuclear weapons program. Lee Seung-jae starts us off. It's seems the United States and North Korea are inching toward direct talks,... but only under one condition. The White House released a statement on Sunday saying the U.S. "will see" if North Korea's willingness for talks is a commitment to denuclearize. It added that the U.S. and the world must continue to make clear that Pyongyang's nuclear and missile programs are a dead end. However, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said Pyongyang's willingness to talk is a "first step" along the path to denuclearization. This comes as South Korea's presidential office released a statement earlier in the day,... stating that Kim Yong-chol expressed North Korea's willingness to begin dialogue with the U.S. when he met with President Moon Jae-in shortly before the closing ceremony for the PyeongChang Winter Olympics. According to a spokesman for the Blue House,... President Moon pointed out that U.S.-North Korea dialogue must take place in order to improve relations between the two Koreas and to find a fundamental solution to issues on the Korean Peninsula. The spokesman added the North Korean delegates agreed that inter-Korean ties and relations between the North and the U.S. should develop simultaneously. Dubbed the 'Peace Olympics',... there's hope the PyeongChang Winter Games have opened doors for a more peaceful Peninsula,... and could potentially be the catalyst that brings the U.S. and North Korea back to talks. Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
