Seoul (TDI): North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said his country is open to talks with the United States, but only if Washington abandons its demand that Pyongyang dismantle its nuclear arsenal.
He insisted that the weapons are not up for negotiation under any circumstances, according to state media.
Speaking before the Supreme People’s Assembly on Sunday, Kim recalled past meetings with US President Donald Trump, noting he still had “fond memories” of their three encounters during Trump’s first term.
His remarks come as the new government in Seoul urges Trump to once again take the lead in re-establishing dialogue, six years after denuclearization talks broke down over disagreements on sanctions relief and weapons dismantlement.
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“If the United States drops its unreasonable obsession with denuclearizing us and accepts reality, and if it truly wants peaceful coexistence, then there is no reason not to hold talks,” Kim said.
He argued that nuclear weapons are essential for North Korea’s survival, pointing to what he called increasingly provocative joint military drills by the US and South Korea. Recent proposals from Washington and Seoul for dialogue, he added, were insincere, claiming their ultimate goal remained regime change.
“The world already knows what happens to countries that surrender their nuclear arms,” Kim said. “We will never give up our nuclear weapons.”
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He went further, declaring there would be “no negotiations for eternity” with hostile powers in exchange for sanctions relief. Kim said international restrictions had only strengthened North Korea, calling the sanctions “a learning experience.”
Despite multiple rounds of UN Security Council sanctions aimed at choking off funding for Pyongyang’s weapons programs, the North has pressed ahead with nuclear and missile development.
