Rex Tillerson isn't buying North Korea's sudden makeover

North Korea’s sudden eagerness for talks has not convinced Rex Tillerson, the secretary of state warning Thursday, “We're a long ways from negotiations.”

Speaking in Addis Ababa, America’s top diplomat acknowledged the “potentially positive symbols” coming from Pyongyang, but added the U.S. must be “very clear-eyed” and realistic about the situation.

Tillerson said before there can be any negotiations about denuclearization, there need to be “talks about talks,” adding he wasn’t certain that conditions were right for negotiations about North Korea’s nuclear program.

Tillerson’s comments come as two top South Korea diplomats headed to Washington to brief the White House about their recent visit to Pyongyang and the possibility of talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

“The most urgent issue is to make sure the United States and North Korea will engage in talks,” National Security Office Head Chung Eui-yong said, as he departed with National Intelligence Service chief Suh Hoon.

Chung and Suh met last week with Kim during a private dinner, the first time the reclusive leader has met any official from the South Korean government. During the meeting Kim said he was willing to discuss denuclearization if the country’s security could be guaranteed.

Tillerson has long been an advocate of direct diplomacy to engage with Pyongyang, however his efforts have been undermined by President Donald Trump on several occasions.

On Tuesday, however, Trump sounded optimistic about developments on the Korean Peninsula. “I think that their statement and the statements coming out of South Korea and North Korea have been very positive. I think that they are sincere. I hope they're sincere. We're going to soon find out.”

Tillerson was speaking in Ethiopia, the first stop of a week-long trip to Africa that also includes visits to Djibouti, Kenya, Chad and Nigeria. Tillerson is seeking to mend relations on the continent after his boss allegedly called African nations “shitholes” in a January meeting with lawmakers.

Cover image: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is seen speaking during a press conference of North American Foreign Ministers Meeting at Foreign Affair on February 02, 2018 in Mexico City, Mexico (Carlos Tischler/NurPhoto via Getty Images)