North Korea has rejected any possibility of renewed denuclearization talks following South Korea’s request for China to mediate dialogue over Pyongyang’s nuclear program.
On Friday, North Korea’s state media outlet, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), quoted Vice Foreign Minister Pak Myong Ho describing the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula as an “unrealizable pipe dream.” His statement directly criticized Seoul’s efforts to raise the issue during its upcoming summit with China.
This response followed South Korea’s announcement that its president, Lee Jae-myung, planned to discuss North Korea’s nuclear program with Chinese President Xi Jinping during their meeting.
“The South is still unaware that denying North Korea’s position as a nuclear weapons state and pursuing its daydream of denuclearization only reveals its lack of common sense,” Pak added, according to KCNA.
On Saturday, during a meeting on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum in Gyeongju, President Lee directly sought Xi’s assistance in resuming dialogue with Pyongyang. While Xi expressed a willingness to support peace efforts, there was no indication that China would apply significant pressure on North Korea to restart talks.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who also attended the APEC summit in South Korea, had reportedly expressed hopes of meeting North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, though Pyongyang has not publicly responded.
Since taking office in January, Trump has repeatedly expressed interest in reviving direct nuclear negotiations with Kim, similar to the summits held during his first term. However, North Korea’s deepening ties with Russia and China—particularly its recently formalized military alliance with Moscow—along with its advancements in conventional and nuclear capabilities, have left little incentive for Pyongyang to return to the negotiating table. Analysts in both Washington and Seoul now broadly acknowledge that the conditions for renewed talks are increasingly unlikely with a nuclear peninsula likely not a temporary reality.