Administration

Trump was referring to South Korea when he said he spoke with North Korea: report

by Max Greenwood 03/06/18 02:07 PM ET

President Trump was referring to a phone call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in when he recalled a recent conversation about North Korea’s nuclear weapons program on Saturday.

Trump said at the annual Gridiron Dinner on Saturday that North Korea had “called up a couple of days ago,” leading many to believe the president had fielded a phone call with Pyongyang.

“They, by the way, called up a couple of days ago and said, ‘We would like to talk.’ And I said, ‘So would we, but you have to de-nuke, you have to de-nuke,'” Trump said at the dinner. “So, let’s see what happens. Let’s see what happens.”

An official on the National Security Council clarified to Yonhap News Agency, however, that Trump was recounting a phone call he had last week with Moon, and the president did not speak with North Korea.

{mosads}

South Korea said on Tuesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un had agreed to hold summit talks in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in April, and that Pyongyang would cease its weapons testing if it were to enter into talks with the U.S.

Trump said in a tweet on Tuesday morning that the summit between the rival Koreas and the North’s willingness to discuss denuclearization were signs of progress, but noted it “may be false hope.”

“Possible progress being made in talks with North Korea. For the first time in many years, a serious effort is being made by all parties concerned,” he tweeted. “The World is watching and waiting! May be false hope, but the U.S. is ready to go hard in either direction!”