North Korea leader Kim says he is ready to denuclearize

Reuters: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said on Thursday (February 28) he was willing to give up his nuclear weapons and he would not be holding a second summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Vietnam if he were not. Kim and Trump began a second day of talks earlier on Thursday in the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, with both expressing hope for progress on improving relations and the key issue of denuclearization. "If I'm not willing to do that, I won't be here right now," Kim told reporters through an interpreter, when asked if he was ready to give up his nuclear weapons. Trump, responding to that, said: "That might be the best answer you've ever heard." The two leaders were sitting across from each other at a conference table, with their aides. Kim did not elaborate on what "denuclearization" would entail, but asked if he was ready to take concrete steps, Kim said they had just been talking about that. "If you kindly give us more time between us because one minute, even on minute is more precious to us," he told reporters. While the United States is demanding North Korea give up all of its nuclear and missile programs, the North wants to see the removal of a U.S. nuclear umbrella for its Asian allies such as South Korea and Japan.