Tillerson: US ready to meet with North Korea 'without precondition'

WASHINGTON, Dec 13 (KUNA) -- Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that he is ready to meet with North Korea "without precondition" so ther can be a "road map of what we might be willing to work towards," he said Tuesday while speaking at the Atlantic Council.
"Let's just meet," Tillerson stressed. "Can we at least sit down and see each other face to face?" Later, the White House responded to the Secretary's comments and said that, "The President's views on North Korea have not changed. North Korea is acting in an unsafe way not only toward Japan, China, and South Korea, but the entire world," said Spokesperson Sarah Sanders.
"North Korea's actions are not good for anyone and certainly not good for North Korea," she added.
Earlier North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said he would "win victory in the showdown" against the US with regard to his nuclear arsenal, according to North Korean state media.
He told workers during a press conference that the country would "victoriously advance and leap as the strongest nuclear power and military power in the world," said KCNA.
Still, Tillerson that the US was "ready to talk any time they're ready to talk" but argued there would have to be a "period of quiet" without nuclear tests to have such discussions. (end) ak.mb