"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, and it is reported that Trump has not yet made a final decision on pushing for an early summit.

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....]

On the 22nd, Trump appointed Alex Wong, former deputy special representative for North Korea, who oversaw the North Korea-US negotiations during the first administration, including the North Korea-US summit in Singapore, as the White House's chief deputy national security adviser.

Analysts say that Trump may have expressed interest in resuming the U.S.-North Korea dialogue by selecting a negotiator and a person who was deeply involved in the U.S.-North Korea negotiations for important security positions.

However, some predict that it is not easy to realize the North Korea-U.S. summit because North Korea, which specified nuclear possession in the Constitution last year, is now likely to demand recognition as a nuclear power rather than denuclearization negotiations.

I'm Hong Sang-hee from Washington.