North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he is open to resuming talks with the United States if Washington abandons its demand that Pyongyang give up nuclear weapons, though he vowed never to dismantle his arsenal in exchange for sanctions relief, state media reported on Monday.
Speaking at the Supreme People’s Assembly on Sunday, Kim said, “If the United States drops the absurd obsession with denuclearising us and accepts reality, and wants genuine peaceful coexistence, there is no reason for us not to sit down with the United States.”
In a rare personal reference, Kim added, “Personally, I still have fond memories of U.S. President Donald Trump,” recalling the three summits they held during Trump’s first presidency. It was Kim’s first mention of Trump since his inauguration in January.
Analysts said the comments marked an overture. “This is an invitation to Trump to rethink U.S. policy on denuclearisation,” said Rachel Minyoung Lee, a North Korea expert at the Stimson Center.
The remarks contrasted with Kim’s hardline stance on South Korea, which he again designated as the North’s “main enemy,” rejecting President Lee Jae Myung’s proposal for a phased approach that would freeze Pyongyang’s weapons production before pursuing reductions.
Kim argued that disarmament would leave his country vulnerable. “The world already knows full well what the United States does after it makes a country give up its nuclear weapons and disarms. We will never give up our nuclear weapons,” he said.
South Korea’s Lee, in an interview with Reuters, said Pyongyang is building 15–20 nuclear bombs annually, and that even a freeze could serve as a first step toward eventual disarmament. “Our main task now is to create the conditions for dialogue,” he said.
North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions since its first nuclear test in 2006, but Kim insisted the measures had only made the country more resilient. He denounced joint U.S.-South Korean military drills as preparations for nuclear war and dismissed recent diplomatic overtures as disingenuous.
The comments come as Seoul is urging Trump, who is scheduled to visit South Korea next month for an Asia-Pacific summit, to take the lead in restarting dialogue with Pyongyang after six years of deadlock.
Source: Reuters
Written By Rodney Mbua
