RUBIO SIGNALS US OPENNESS TO DIALOGUE WITH N. KOREA

WASHINGTON, Feb 26 (Bernama-Yonhap) -- United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday signalled Washington's openness to dialogue with Pyongyang, as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un indicated his willingness to re-engage with the United States if it drops its "hostile" policy towards his regime, Yonhap News Agency reported.

Rubio briefly touched on potential engagement with the reclusive regime during a press availability in Frigate Bay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, as Kim recently issued the message to the US during a key party congress, saying the prospects of US-North Korea relations "entirely depend on the attitude of the US".

"Suffice it to say that the United States is always prepared to talk to officials from any government that have information to share with us or viewpoints they want to share with the US, and that's my job to do that," Rubio said, according to a transcript released by the State Department.

"So whether it's someone in Cuba or potentially one day someone in North Korea or right now in Iran, we are always open to listen. That's different from a negotiation, obviously, but we're prepared to listen to viewpoints that other people say," he added.

His remarks came amid speculation that US President Donald Trump could seek to resume dialogue with Kim when he visits China reportedly from late next month to early April.

Trump has repeatedly expressed his openness to dialogue with Kim. The two held three in-person meetings during Trump's first term -- the first summit in Singapore in June 2018, the second in Hanoi in February 2019 and the third at the inter-Korean border village of Panmunjom in June 2019.

-- BERNAMA-YONHAP