By Chang Dong-woo
WASHINGTON, Oct. 2 (Yonhap) -- U.S. President Donald Trump does not view talks with North Korea as a "concession" and is willing to engage Pyongyang if doing so serves U.S. national interests, the State Department spokesperson said Friday.
Tommy Pigott, spokesperson for the State Department, made the remarks when asked how the U.S. government is supporting Trump's stated willingness to meet Kim amid renewed attention to the prospects of diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang.
"The determination comes from a president who doesn't believe talking to someone is a concession," Pigott said during a meeting with foreign reporters in Washington. "If it's in our national interest to talk to someone, he's going to talk with them."
Trump has recently expressed his intention to meet Kim later this year, with the White House reiterating that the president remains open to talks with the North Korean leader "without any preconditions."
Pigott also said the U.S. remains committed to the "complete" denuclearization of North Korea.
"Our policy regarding the complete denuclearization of North Korea remains the same," Pigott said. "That is something that we remain committed to."
Asked whether Washington and Pyongyang have been engaged in behind-the-scenes contacts, Pigott said he had "nothing to announce at this time."
This photo, taken on June 30, 2019, shows U.S. President Donald Trump shaking hands with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un during a meeting at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom. (Yonhap)
When pressed again on whether there have been contacts between U.S. and North Korean officials, Pigott declined to provide details, noting that, as a general principle, the department does not discuss sensitive diplomatic conversations involving various countries.
Pigott also welcomed recent announcements concerning South Korean investment in the U.S., including energy projects, while declining to directly address apparent differences between Washington and Seoul over the status of some proposed investments.
"We're looking forward to seeing these investments come to fruition," he said, calling them a "true win-win" for the United States and South Korea.
Trump on Wednesday unveiled South Korea's U.S. investment projects under last year's bilateral trade agreement: the construction of a gas-fired power plant in Texas, eight large-scale nuclear power plants and a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in Alaska.
South Korea's industry ministry, however, said the Alaska LNG project had not yet been finalized, stressing that its commercial viability and other factors would need to be reviewed before any investment decision is made.
Asked specifically about differences between U.S. and South Korean descriptions of the investment plans, Pigott said he had not seen the South Korean government's specific remarks.
odissy@yna.co.kr
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