The U.S. government is now in Day 16 of its shutdown. President Trump continues to insist on including funding to build a wall along the southern border, while the Democrats say they'll only discuss border security once the shutdown ends.
Seo Bo-bin reports.
The US federal government shutdown has been going on for over two weeks and reached a new milestone on Sunday.

This shutdown is now tying for the third longest on record, and is without an end in sight. On the 16th day of the shutdown on Sunday, President Donald Trump met with reporters at the White House and insisted that he would be willing to declare a national emergency in order to build the border wall.

"I may do it but we can call a national emergency and build it very quickly. It's another way of doing it. But if we can do it through a negotiated process, we're giving that a shot."

Trump administration officials led by Vice President Mike Pence met with congressional staff over the weekend to try to end the shutdown, but their talks did not lead to a compromise. No deal was made and no further meetings were scheduled.

The Democrats have said they are willing to discuss what is needed to address border security only after the shutdown ends.
The key point has been Trump's insistence on five billion dollars of funding to build the border wall. But the Democrats have been refusing to give him the money, arguing that the wall is expensive, wasteful and ineffective.

The shutdown began on December 22, when federal departments and smaller agencies making up a quarter of the federal government closed their doors due to the budget dispute between the White House and Congress.

Seo Bo-bin, Arirang News.