{"id":70890,"date":"2017-11-07T15:05:40","date_gmt":"2017-11-07T15:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/uncategorized\/2017\/11\/07\/in-seoul-trump-calls-for-north-korea-to-make-a-deal\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T03:01:56","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T03:01:56","slug":"in-seoul-trump-calls-for-north-korea-to-make-a-deal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2017\/11\/07\/in-seoul-trump-calls-for-north-korea-to-make-a-deal\/","title":{"rendered":"In Seoul, Trump calls for North Korea to \u2018make a deal\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"
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U.S. President Donald Trump, in his first day on the Korean Peninsula, again pushed Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but sounded an optimistic note.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n

SEOUL, South Korea \u2014 In a striking shift of tone, U.S. President Donald Trump abandoned his aggressive rhetoric toward North Korea on Tuesday, signaling a willingness to negotiate as he urged Pyongyang to \u201ccome to the table\u201d and \u201cmake a deal.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump, in his first day on the Korean Peninsula, again pushed Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons program, but sounded an optimistic note: \u201cUltimately, it\u2019ll all work out.\u201d And while he said the United States would use military force if needed, he expressed his strongest inclination yet to deal with rising tensions with Pyongyang through diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and make a deal that is good for the people of North Korea and for the world,\u201d Trump said during a news conference alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in. \u201cI do see certain movement.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump said he\u2019s seen \u201ca lot of progress\u201d in dealing with North Korea, though he stopped short of saying whether he wanted direct diplomatic talks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump also underscored the United States\u2019 military options, noting that three aircraft carrier groups and a nuclear submarine had been deployed to the region. But he said \u201cwe hope to God we never have to use\u201d the arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And at an evening banquet, Trump teased an \u201cexciting day tomorrow for many reasons that people will find out.\u201d He did not elaborate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During his first day in South Korea, Trump at least temporarily lowered the temperature on his usually incendiary language about the North. There were no threats of unleashing \u201cfire and fury\u201d on North Korea, as Trump previously warned, nor did Trump revive his derisive nickname for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, \u201cLittle Rocket Man.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he did decree that the dictator is \u201cthreatening millions and millions of lives, so needlessly\u201d and highlighted a central mission of his first lengthy Asia trip: to enlist many nations in the region, including China and Russia, to cut off Pyongyang\u2019s economic lifeblood and pressure it into giving up its nuclear program.<\/p>\n\n\n\t