Pence says US ready to talk with North Korea in policy shift

Hong Kong

THE US is ready to engage in talks about North Korea's nuclear programme even as it maintains pressure on Kim Jong Un's regime, Vice-President Mike Pence said, signalling a shift in American policy.

Mr Pence and South Korean President Moon Jae In agreed to pursue dialogue with North Korea during conversations at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, The Washington Post reported.

Mr Pence dubbed the new strategy as "maximum pressure and engagement at the same time". "The point is, no pressure comes off until they are actually doing something that the alliance believes represents a meaningful step toward denuclearisation," The Post quoted Mr Pence as saying during an interview on his way home from South K…