North Korean leader Kim Jong Un announced Sunday that Pyongyang is open to renewed negotiations with the United States, but only if Washington abandons its insistence on North Korea’s denuclearization.
Speaking before the Supreme People’s Assembly, Kim dismissed the American position as an “absurd obsession,” reiterating that North Korea would never relinquish its nuclear arsenal. He described the weapons program as both “irreversible” and “essential” to the nation’s survival, underscoring its central role in Pyongyang’s strategic posture.
While striking a firm tone, Kim also invoked what he described as “good memories” of his previous meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump in 2018 and 2019. Although those summits ultimately failed to deliver disarmament agreements, Kim acknowledged that his personal rapport with Trump had endured despite diplomatic setbacks.
Earlier this year, U.S. media reported that the Trump Administration was consulting experts on reopening dialogue with Pyongyang. Officials noted, however, that conditions in 2025 are markedly different from Trump’s first term. North Korea’s nuclear and conventional forces are far more advanced, and the country is no longer isolated, having forged a formal military alliance with Russia.
Kim highlighted this relationship in his address, pointing to the 2024 mutual defense treaty signed between Pyongyang and Moscow. He hailed the agreement as a “new paradigm” for regional security, presenting it as evidence that North Korea has strong partners willing to stand with it against U.S. pressure.
The speech comes amid heightened regional tensions, with North Korea conducting multiple missile tests in 2025. At the same time, the United States has expanded joint military exercises with South Korea and Japan, a move Pyongyang routinely denounces as provocative.
South Korean President Lee responded cautiously to Kim’s remarks, welcoming the possibility of dialogue while urging the North to take verifiable steps toward arms control. Since assuming office in July, Lee has sought avenues for rapprochement, but Pyongyang’s abandonment of its long-standing goal of eventual reunification has complicated efforts to ease inter-Korean tensions.