Kim Jong-un offers to give up North Korea’s nukes if US promises not to invade, says South Korea

A South Korean official quoted North Korean leader as saying: ‘Once we start talking, the United States will know that I am not a person to launch nuclear weapons at South Korea, the Pacific or the United States’

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From left, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Kim's wife Ri Sol-ju and Moon's wife Kim Jung-sook walk to the venue of a farewell event in the border village of Panmunjom on April 27. Photo: Kyodo

Published: 8:53am, 30 Apr 2018Updated: 8:53am, 30 Apr 2018

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told his South Korean counterpart at their historic summit that he would be willing to give up his nuclear weapons if the US commits to a formal end to the Korean war and a pledge not to attack or invade the North, Seoul officials said Sunday.

Kim also vowed during his meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Friday to shut down the North’s nuclear test site in May and disclose the process to experts and journalists from South Korea and the United States, Seoul’s presidential office said.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in (right) and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, alongside their respective wives Kim Jung-sook and Ri Sol-ju, bid farewell in the border village of Panmunjom on April 27. Photo: Kyodo

While there are lingering questions about whether North Korea will ever decide to fully relinquish its nukes as it heads into negotiations with the US, Kim’s comments amount to the North’s most specific acknowledgement yet that “denuclearisation” would constitute surrendering its weapons.

US national security adviser John Bolton reacted coolly to word that Kim would abandon his weapons if the United States pledged not to invade.

Asked on CBS’ Face the Nation whether the US would make such a promise, Bolton said: “Well, we’ve heard this before. This is – the North Korean propaganda playbook is an infinitely rich resource.”