North Korea willing to take part in talks if US has ‘right attitude’

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has said he would take part in a third summit with Donald Trump – but only if the US brought the “right attitude”.

North Korean state media reported the comments by Mr Kim on Saturday.

In a speech, he urged Mr Trump to pursue a deal that was “fair” and “mutually acceptable” to both nations.

The two leaders met for the first time in Singapore last year. However, a second summit in Hanoi in February broke down over denuclearisation steps.

Mr Trump claimed North Koreans officials wanted all economic sanctions lifted in their entirety in exchange for disabling a major nuclear site, provoking him to walk away.

• North Korea crisis in 300 words
• Inside North Korea’s nuclear programme
• What to make of summit collapse

However, the North Koreans disputed the US account of how the negotiations broke down.

Last month, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Sun-hui accused the US of taking a “gangster-like” stance and said they had thrown away a “golden opportunity” in Hanoi.

In his most recent comments, reported by KCNA, Mr Kim said the summit had created a “strong doubt” in him over whether the US genuinely wanted to improve relations

But he went on to say: “We are willing to give another try if the US offers to have a third summit with the right attitude and mutually acceptable terms.”

He said the US “mistakenly believe that if they pressure us to the maximum, they can subdue us” and called on them to cease “hostile” negotiating tactics.

He did however, add that personal ties between him and Mr Trump remained “excellent”.

The North Korean leader said he would give the US until the end of the year to make a “courageous decision” over any new summit plans.

Kim Dong-yup, of Kyungnam University’s Institute for Far Eastern Studies in South Korea, told Reuters Mr Kim’s remarks signalled he would not cling to talks with US forever and could instead look “to diversify its diplomatic relations with other countries”.

The comments comes just one day after Mr Trump, at the start of talks in Washington with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, floated the possibility of further meetings with Mr Kim