Korean standoff: Talking is good

“JAW-JAW is always better than war-war” — a reflection on the nature of conflict attributed to both Harold McMillan and Winston Churchill.

“JAW-JAW is always better than war-war” — a reflection on the nature of conflict attributed to both Harold McMillan and Winston Churchill. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un may not be familiar with the phrase but he finally appears to be ready to talk and Donald Trump appears ready to listen.

While Jong-un has warned the US that he has a “nuclear button” on his desk ready for use if North Korea is

threatened, he is also offering an olive branch to South Korea by calling for the lowering of military tension on the Korean peninsula.

“When it comes to North-South relations, we should lower the military tensions on the Korean peninsula to create a peaceful environment,” Kim said in a New Year speech.

He even suggests that a delegation may be sent to to the Winter Olympics Games to be held in PyeongChang, South Korea, next month.

Trump’s response was “we’ll see.” That is a far cry from the bombastic and fiery rhetoric engaged by both men in the past year over North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme.