Washington willing to discuss trust-building with N. Korea – US envoy

Washington is willing to discuss trust-building initiatives with Pyongyang, a US envoy said Friday. “The US has no intention of easing our unilateral or UN sanctions” on Pyongyang, said Stephen Biegun, the US special representative for North Korea. “However, within the context of the engagement that we have with the [North Korea], we are prepared to explore number of other things that could build trust,” AFP quoted the diplomat as saying. “We do have a number of initiatives we’d like to look at as we begin the process of denuclearization in North Korea.” The comments come a day after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo voiced hope that a second summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un can be scheduled for early 2019. The Trump administration is trying to revive efforts to convince Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons. Biegun was in Seoul coordinating policies toward Pyongyang.