(Pyongyang, 22nd) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said that if the United States no longer insists on North Korea giving up its nuclear weapons, North Korea would have no reason to avoid dialogue with the United States.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that on Sunday (September 21), Kim delivered a speech at the Supreme People's Assembly, saying he still has fond memories of U.S. President Trump. During Trump’s first presidential term, the leaders of the two countries met three times.
He said: “If the U.S. abandons its absurd obsession with our denuclearization, accepts reality, and sincerely wishes to achieve true peaceful coexistence, we have no reason not to sit down and negotiate with the U.S.”
Kim explained that North Korea developed nuclear weapons as a matter of survival, as a measure to safeguard national security in the face of severe threats from the United States and South Korea.
However, Kim rejected recent dialogue proposals from Washington and Seoul, believing these proposals lack sincerity because the fundamental intention of the U.S. and South Korea to weaken or destroy the North Korean regime has not changed.
He gave the example of South Korea’s proposal to end North Korea’s nuclear program in stages as a manifestation of such an intention.
Since his inauguration in June, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly expressed goodwill for peace, stating that dialogue with Pyongyang is necessary and has proposed measures to build trust and eventually terminate North Korea’s nuclear program.
In an earlier interview with Reuters, Lee Jae-myung said that reopening dialogue with North Korea faces huge obstacles, but he still believes that the phased termination of the North Korean nuclear program is a realistic and feasible choice.
He also stated that it is necessary to create the right conditions to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, and that Trump could play a key role in these efforts.
The Korean Central News Agency reported that on Sunday (September 21), Kim delivered a speech at the Supreme People's Assembly, saying he still has fond memories of U.S. President Trump. During Trump’s first presidential term, the leaders of the two countries met three times.
He said: “If the U.S. abandons its absurd obsession with our denuclearization, accepts reality, and sincerely wishes to achieve true peaceful coexistence, we have no reason not to sit down and negotiate with the U.S.”
Kim explained that North Korea developed nuclear weapons as a matter of survival, as a measure to safeguard national security in the face of severe threats from the United States and South Korea.
However, Kim rejected recent dialogue proposals from Washington and Seoul, believing these proposals lack sincerity because the fundamental intention of the U.S. and South Korea to weaken or destroy the North Korean regime has not changed.
He gave the example of South Korea’s proposal to end North Korea’s nuclear program in stages as a manifestation of such an intention.
Since his inauguration in June, South Korean President Lee Jae-myung has repeatedly expressed goodwill for peace, stating that dialogue with Pyongyang is necessary and has proposed measures to build trust and eventually terminate North Korea’s nuclear program.
In an earlier interview with Reuters, Lee Jae-myung said that reopening dialogue with North Korea faces huge obstacles, but he still believes that the phased termination of the North Korean nuclear program is a realistic and feasible choice.
He also stated that it is necessary to create the right conditions to bring North Korea back to the negotiating table, and that Trump could play a key role in these efforts.