handled for a long time. For many, many years, this should have been taken care of," he said, referring to past administrations. "But we'll get it done."

Vice President Mike Pence, who was in Pyeongchang for the Winter Olympics, said in a statement that the US and its allies "remain committed to applying maximum pressure on the Kim regime to end their nuclear program."

The US has said North Korea abandoning nuclear weapons and suspending all missile tests is a precondition for any direct talks between the two countries, which are being sought to defuse escalating military tensions.

However, in a call Tuesday evening about the developments, a senior White House official skirted questions as to whether the Trump administration will insist on North Korea agreeing to dismantle its nuclear missileprogram as a prerequisite to direct talks, saying they remain guarded and are watching to see if Kim takes "concrete steps" to denuclearize.

"We have a long, 27-year history of talking to the North Koreans and there's also a 27-year history of them breaking every agreement ever made with the US and the international community," the official said. "We are open minded and look forward to hearing more. But the North Koreans have earned our skepticism. We are guarded in our optimism."

Even if the regime promised to refrain from testing nuclear missiles, they still have an "enormous industry that is preceding the pace of mass producing warheads and missiles," the official added.

North Korea has not officially confirmed it is willing to take such a step, but state media agency