![U.S. Secretary of State makes remarks at ASEAN conference. / [Image by U.S. Department of State via Flickr, U.S. Gov. Work]](https://staticr1.blastingcdn.com/media/photogallery/2017/8/4/660x290/b_502x220x82/us-secretary-of-state-makes-remarks-at-asean-conference-image-by-us-department-of-state-via-flickr-us-gov-work_1493035.jpg "U.S. Secretary of State makes remarks at ASEAN conference. / [Image by U.S. Department of State via Flickr, U.S. Gov. Work]")
President Trump's Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said during a briefing last Tuesday that the administration would like to have talks with North Korea. His statement was sandwiched-in between two events, the first being North Korea's launching of a Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM) and the other being the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). The ASEAN conference took place in Manila where Tillerson reportedly would have a chance to give his message directly to North Korea with their foreign minister set to be in the same room.
Sanctions against North Korea
On Friday, August 4, the United Nations Security Council announced new sanctions against North Korea days after the U.S. Congress had sent a sanctions bill to President Trump's desk that covers North Korea, Iran and Russia which he signed. North Korea's ally, China, agreed to the sanctions as well as others at ASEAN but the enforcement likely created a delay in a statement from North Korea's foreign minister until Tuesday. There is no doubt that Pyongyang's foreign minister will condemn the sanctions and reject Tillerson's call for talks.
Trump administration will repeat previous administration mistakes
As opined recently, Tillerson's stubborn determination to reset U.S.
policy with North Korea and, therefore, repeat the same mistakes that other administrations have already made is further confirmation of Tillerson's incompetence. The suggestion and the offer made by Secretary Tillers to Kim Jong-un's regime to come to the table is already a "no go" if it's about disarmament. As Mike Morell explained on Charlie Rose this year, Pyongyang has no intention of disarming and are more reluctant to come to the table under those conditions.
No guarantees of progress with two unstable regimes
Morell has said that the only reason Pyongyang has ever held any talks with the United States, is to get something from the U.S. in return. Also, Kim Jong-un is no different from his father and grandfather's needs to defend their rule and prevent themselves from being overthrown.
Morell has also said that if the sanctions against the Kim Jong-un's regime were crippling enough, his regime could lash out in retaliation. This would explain the reason why China has tried to not strangle the regime as a unstable nuclear state is dangerous.
The recent missile tests were the first time that Pyongyang had reportedly tested ICBMs which experts say can hit U.S. cities. Those experts can only assume that North Korea still does not have a nuclear warhead that can travel on an ICBM, yet. But since President Trump has been in office, he has been more aggressive against Jong-un's regime saying that the U.S. would be ready to attack. Recently, Trump showed that he was aware of the devastation that war in the Korean Peninsula would create for South Korea. But he expressed confidence that the U.S. would not be affected.
