"Trump's transition team reviews direct talks with Chairman Kim Jong-un"

[Anchor]
There have been reports that U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's transition team is considering direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Recently, Chairman Kim Jong-un has been skeptical of the possibility of negotiations with the United States, but it is known that Trump has not made a final decision yet.

This is Washington correspondent Hong Sang-hee.

[Reporter]
Reuters reported that Trump's transition team is discussing ways to push for direct talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

Reuters, citing two sources, said Trump's side was exploring new diplomatic efforts to reduce the risk of armed conflict with North Korea.

President Trump is considering taking a direct approach as North Korea has formed a confrontation with the United States, including sending military troops to Russia and participating in the war in Russia and Ukraine.

Reuters added, however, that Trump had not made a final decision, and that discussions were fluid.

During the presidential election, Trump has been showing off his friendship with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying that he will get along well with North Korea if he returns to the White House.

[Donald Trump/ U.S. President-elect (last month): He (Kim Jong-un) called and asked us to meet, so we met. We didn't have a problem. I met Kim Jong-un and it was a big deal.]

Kim Jong-un, who led the test-fire site of a new intercontinental ballistic missile last month, has made it clear that he has no intention of giving up nuclear weapons.

In a recent speech at the Armed Equipment Exhibition in Pyongyang, he drew a line on the observation of the U.S.-North Korea summit, saying he had gone as far as negotiating with the U.S. in the past.

[North Korea's Korean Central Television (last 22nd): The South Korean party and the government said that we should continue to renew and upgrade our defense capabilities, but our military and technological capabilities are higher....]

Trump appointed Alex Wong, who oversaw North Korea-U.S. negotiations during the first period of the administration, including follow-up negotiations at the 2018 U.S.-North Korea summit in Singapore, as the White House's chief deputy national security adviser.

Attention is focusing on what Trump will decide amid heightened tensions between North Korea and the U.S. as North Korea focuses on strengthening its nuclear development after the collapse of the 2019 U.S.-North Korea summit in Hanoi.

I'm Hong Sang-hee from Washington.