North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he saw no reason not to negotiate with the United States if it dropped its demand that North Korea give up its nuclear weapons, adding that he had “fond memories” of President Doanld Trump.
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email on Sunday for comment.
Why It Matters
North Korea’s U.N.-sanctioned nuclear weapons program is a major source of tension with the United States and its allies. During Trump’s first term, he met Kim three times in a bid to press him to agree to denuclearize in exchange for sanctions relief, but the talks failed to produce any significant breakthroughs.
Kim’s comments, in a speech to a parliamentary meeting on Sunday, is the first sign that he is open to talks with the U.S. since Trump returned to the White House and comes as new government in South Korea has been trying to encourage Trump to reopen contacts with Kim.
What To Know
Kim has said North Korea’s status as a nuclear state is permanent, and the U.S. should stop what he calls its hostile provocation in calling for its denuclearization.
He has also expanded North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear capabilities, which it maintains are necessary to deter U.S. and allied aggression, while up until Sunday, dismissing U.S. attempts to reopen dialogue.
“If the United States abandons its vain obsession with denuclearization and acknowledges reality, and seeks genuine peaceful coexistence with us, we have no reason not to sit down with the United States,” Kim said in his speech, originally in Korean, published by the state-run Korean Central News Agency on Monday.
“Personally, I still have fond memories of the current U.S. President Trump,” he said.
Kim also reiterated that North Korea would not give up its nuclear weapons and said they would not be a bargaining chip.
“The concept of ‘denuclearization’ has already lost its meaning,” he said, adding that pressure by the U.S. and its allies, both military and economic, wod never succeed.
“If they think they can pressure and defeat us through sanctions or a show of force, they are mistaken,” he said.
What People Are Saying
Kim Jong Un, referring to his country by its official name, said: “Even if the United States and its allies enthusiastically call for ‘denuclearization’ for 10, 20, 50, or even 100 years, the fact that the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea possesses nuclear weapons will remain unchanged for them, whether they like it or not.”
President Donald Trump, referring to Kim, told reporters in the oval office on August 26: “I get along with him really well. I look forward to meeting with Kim Jong Un in the appropriate future.”
Dong-A Ilbo/Getty Images
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen how the Trump administration will respond, in particular to Kim’s insistence that his nuclear weapons are off the bargaining table.
