U.S. President Donald Trump seems to be taking a step back from his previous demands for immediate denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula... as he said.... there's "no time limit" for ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
Here's our Oh Soo-young with more details.
President Trump has indicated he's not in a hurry to denuclearize North Korea.
Speaking to reporters at the White House Tuesday, Trump said there's "no time limit" nor a "speed limit" on getting Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons..
He was quick to add, however, that talks between the two sides are ongoing with American hostages back from the North and no nuclear or missile tests in months.
Trump's remarks represent a shift in tone from just last month when the U.S. leader said the process should start "without delay" and could begin "very quickly."
He has accused past U.S. governments of allowing the regime to buy time to build up its nuclear arsenal,... by engaging in time-consuming step-by-step negotiations with the North.
In recent weeks, however, Trump himself has been on the receiving end of criticism,... for a perceived lack of concrete progress after his June 12th summit with Kim Jong-un.
Their accord on denuclearization was largely seen as vague and short on detail.
A follow-up meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and North Korean officials in Pyongyang this month also failed to produce specific agreements or a timeline on denuclearization.
Pompeo, however, has stressed he does not have a timeline for the North,... and with President Trump's recent remarks that there's no rush,... observers are divided on whether this is a negotiation tactic, or simply the administration's failure to narrow differences with Pyongyang.
North Korea has called for a gradual denuclearization process met with synchronized concessions from Washington.
Addressing the growing skepticism,... President Trump said on Tuesday that his administration is "just going through the process" and that "discussions are going very well."
Oh Soo-young, Arirang News.