The following is a summary of external news on North Korea this week. ------------ IAEA chief says N. Korea continues uranium enrichment, voices 'serious concern' SEOUL -- The chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said North Korea is continuing to operate uranium enrichment

WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. President Donald Trump remains open to talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "without any preconditions," a White House official said Thursday, in response to Kim's latest remarks on bilateral relations.

Kim Jong Un said North Korea could “get along well” with the United States if Washington acknowledges its nuclear status, but dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, state media reported Thursday. Speculation is mounting that U.S. President Donald Trump may seek a meeting with Kim when he travels to China later this year.

The North Korean leader, however, took a sterner tone on South Korea, labeling it as a “hostile state and eternal enemy,” and threatening to “completely destroy” it.

Satirical memes imagining Barron Trump and Kim Ju-ae as a couple have recently spread online as tensions rise in the war involving the United States, Israel and Iran.

North Korea says it’s willing to ‘get along’ with US – but there’s a catch - Kim Jong Un declares South Korea a hostile state and rules out reconciliation