Obama: Relationship with North Korea unchanged, despite ‘small gestures’ like prisoner release

Despite “small gestures” made by North Korea, namely the release of two American hostages over the weekend, President Obama said Monday the broader relationship between the countries remains unchanged.

Pyongyang’s nuclear program, Mr. Obama said, was not discussed during efforts to bring the Americans home.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper traveled to North Korea last week and secured the release of Matthew Miller and Kenneth Bae. Mr. Bae had been held in the secretive communist nation for two years, while Mr. Miller was imprisoned earlier this year.

The White House praised the release of Mr. Miller and Mr. Bae but was careful to point out there are still serious issues to deal with.

“We had an indication there was a possibility of release of these two hostages. And we pursued it,” the president said Monday in Beijing. The deal “did not touch on some of the broader issues that have been the source of primary concern when it comes to North Korea, in particular its level of nuclear capacity.”

Mr. Obama stressed that the U.S. and its allies remain open to talking with North Korea when it is serious about giving up its nuclear weapons program.