North Korea crisis: Which countries are still engaged in diplomacy with Kim Jong-un?

Last week, the United States hinted at a new willingness to engage with North Korea after months of escalating rhetoric between the countries.

“We’ve said from the diplomatic side, we’re ready to talk any time North Korea would like to talk and we’re ready to have the first meeting without precondition,” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said.

However, a White House official then said that “clearly right now is not the time” for talks with Tillerson adding that “North Korea must earn its way back to the table.”

“A sustained cessation of North Korea’s threatening behaviour must occur before talks can begin,” he said.

But while Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un may be deadlock, there are more than 50 diplomatic channels open with North Korea, according to the BBC.

It has established formal diplomatic relations with more than 160 countries and it maintains 55 embassies and consulates in 48 nations.

The broadcaster reports 25 states have diplomatic missions in the pariah country, including the United Kingdom, Germany and Sweden, according to maps by the Lowy Institute.

After the US’s representative to the UN, Nikki Haley, called on “all nations to cut off all ties” with the stage, the likes of Spain, Kuwait, Peru, Mexico and Italy have moved to expel ambassadors or diplomats in the past few months.

Portugal, Uganda, Singapore, UAE and the Philippines have all suspended relations or cut other ties.

The United States, Japan, South Korea and France have never established diplomatic relations with North Korea.

The Lowy Institute’s map of diplomatic links also shows that few countries’ networks are getting smaller, with 20 states having expanded their diplomatic network in the past two years.

This morning, Donald Trump’s national security adviser said the US is willing to “compel” North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons programme.

HR McMaster reiterated the assertion that “all options” were open and declined to say the US was committed to a “peaceful resolution”

He told the BBC: “Of course that’s what we want, but we’re not committed to a peaceful [resolution] – we’re committed to a resolution.

“We want the resolution to be peaceful, but as the president has said, all options are on the table and we have to be prepared, if necessary, to compel the denuclearisation of North Korea without the cooperation of that regime.

“The chances of war, who knows what they are? They could go up or down, I think, based on what we all decide to do. North Korea is a grave threat to all civilised people across the globe.”

A spokesperson for the Lowly Institute said the map revealed a number of surprising findings, including North Korea’s still quite extensive network.

“The North Korea network, digging deeper, is quite dysfunctional; the evidence suggests that many if not all posts are required to be self-funded, acting as conduits for businesses both legal and illicit, raising and funnelling funds back to Pyongyang.”