Unlock the White House Watch newsletter for free
Your guide to what Trump’s second term means for Washington, business and the world
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has opened the door to dialogue with US President Donald Trump, on condition that Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang relinquish its nuclear weapons.
In a speech before North Korea’s rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday, Kim said there was “no reason” for the sides not to hold talks if Washington “abandons its delusional obsession with denuclearisation”.
The comments marked the first time that Kim, who said he had “fond memories” of Trump, has indicated his interest in a meeting since Trump was sworn in for a second term as president in January. The two leaders met on three occasions during Trump’s first term.
“We will never lay down our nuclear weapons,” said Kim, according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency. “The world knows well what the US does after it forces others to give up their nuclear programme and disarm,” he added.
Kim’s overture to Washington came three weeks after he attended a military parade in Beijing, standing alongside China’s Xi Jinping and Russia’s Vladimir Putin in a show of unity against the US-led world order. Kim also held his first in-person talks in six years with Xi, and told Putin he would “do everything to help Russia” out of “fraternal duty”.
Trump has also expressed interest in resuming talks, claiming in March that his administration was in “communication” with Pyongyang.
Trump will visit South Korea next month to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, fuelling speculation in domestic media that he could try to meet Kim at the inter-Korean border, as the two did in 2019.
In August, Trump said that he would like to meet Kim this year, touting his “very good relationship” with the North Korean leader.
Pyongyang has ignored Trump’s efforts since a 2019 summit in Hanoi between the leaders collapsed in disappointment. But Kim’s sister Kim Yo Jong, a senior regime official, suggested in late July that dialogue with Washington was possible, saying relations with the US were “not bad”.
Seoul’s presidential office said on Monday that it would support US-North Korea dialogue, adding that it would continue to pursue a “nuclear-free” Korean peninsula.
South Korea’s leftwing president Lee Jae-myung has also made overtures towards Pyongyang since taking office in June. He has proposed a phased approach towards denuclearisation, focused first on freezing and reducing Pyongyang’s nuclear stockpile.
He has also hinted that in return, Seoul could accept Washington lifting some sanctions against North Korea.
But Kim has rebuffed any advances from Seoul. “We will not sit down with South Korea, nor will we do anything together,” Kim said on Sunday. On Monday, Lee left for New York to attend the UN General Assembly, where he is expected to urge North Korea to return to nuclear talks.
On Sunday, Lee outlined sweeping defence reforms, which he said should prioritise “smart” capabilities such as artificial intelligence and autonomous systems over troop numbers.
Seoul, which is also locked in trade talks with Trump’s White House, has come under pressure to shoulder more of the costs of US troops stationed in the country.
Analysts remain sceptical about the prospects of another Trump-Kim summit.
“It won’t be easy for the US to admit North Korea as a nuclear weapons state,” said Kim Jae-chun, a professor at Sogang University in Seoul and a former government adviser. “The geopolitical situation is quite different now.”
He added that Pyongyang was far less isolated than during Trump’s first term, thanks to its deepening relationship with Russia and worsening US-China tensions.
“Kim seems to have the upper hand now with China and Russia on its side,” he added. “Kim doesn’t feel the need to meet Trump just for a photo shoot.”
