NextFin news, On Sunday, September 21, 2025, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared during a parliamentary session in Pyongyang that he is willing to resume talks with former US President Donald Trump if Washington abandons its demand for North Korea's denuclearization. This statement was reported by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).
Kim recalled his previous summits with Trump fondly, emphasizing that the two nations could coexist peacefully. He said, "If the U.S. abandons its absurd obsession on denuclearization, acknowledges the reality and seeks peaceful coexistence with us, there is no reason for us not to talk with the U.S."
The remarks come amid ongoing tensions on the Korean Peninsula and follow Trump’s expression of interest in meeting Kim face to face again, which he voiced on August 25, 2025, during a news conference with South Korean President Lee Jae Myung in Washington.
Kim also dismissed prospects for engagement with South Korea, describing it as a "hostile nation." He stated, "There is absolutely no chance that we will sit face to face with South Korea, nor will we cooperate in any way," adding that the two Koreas have "practically existed as two separate countries for decades in the international community."
In response, South Korea’s Unification Ministry spokesman Koo Byongsam said on Monday, September 22, 2025, that Seoul does not seek "any kind of unification by absorption or any hostile activities" against the North. He affirmed that the government will work to resolve hostilities and develop peaceful relations based on eased tensions and restored trust.
Kim’s openness to talks with Trump hinges on the US dropping its denuclearization demand, a key sticking point in previous negotiations. The US has insisted that North Korea take substantial steps toward giving up its nuclear weapons program before sanctions relief or diplomatic normalization. North Korea has disputed this, seeking limited sanctions relief instead.
Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump previously met in historic summits in Singapore in 2018 and Vietnam in 2019, but the second summit ended without agreement. Despite changes in leadership in Washington and Seoul, US and South Korean policies have maintained that negotiations with Pyongyang remain possible.
Kim’s sister, Kim Yo Jong, also commented in July 2025 that her brother’s relationship with Trump was "not bad." Meanwhile, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has expressed support for dialogue and offered South Korea’s role as a "pacemaker" in potential negotiations.
This development highlights the complex dynamics on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea continues to prioritize its nuclear program amid regional and international pressures.
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