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Trump praised talks with N. Korea in call with South Korean president: report

President Trump praised renewed talks with North Korea in a call with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Wednesday, following the two countries meeting to discuss the upcoming Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.

Trump said the talks could lead to dialogue between North Korea and the U.S. that would allow for negotiations over denuclearization of the isolated nation. 

The president “expressed his openness to holding talks between the United States and North Korea at the appropriate time, under the right circumstances,” a readout of the call from the White House said. 

Representatives of North and South Korea met at the demilitarized border on Tuesday to discuss North Korea sending a delegation of high-ranking officials to the Pyeongchang Games, along with a cheering squad for their athletes. 

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In a call last week, Trump and Moon agreed to suspend military operations on the peninsula to ensure safety for the Olympic Games, following a year of aggressive missile tests by the North Korean regime.

President Moon said Wednesday that Trump deserves “big credit” for reopening dialogue with North Korea.

Trump said at a press conference that he would like to see North Korean athletes at the Olympics, in response to North Korean leader Kim Jon Un’s new year’s press conference announcing his intention for his country to participate in the games.

“I would love to see it go far beyond the Olympics, absolutely,” Trump said at Camp David this week. “And at the appropriate time, we’ll get involved.”