North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has indicated a willingness to resume nuclear talks with the United States, citing 'fond memories' of his meetings with former President Donald Trump. In a speech to the Supreme People's Assembly on Sunday, Kim said there was 'no reason for us not to sit down with the United States,' according to state-run KCNA news agency. However, he insisted that Washington must abandon its 'absurd obsession with denuclearising us' and accept 'genuine peaceful coexistence.'
Kim's overture comes as South Korea's new President, Lee Jae-myung, suggested he would accept a deal allowing North Korea to retain its existing nuclear weapons in exchange for halting production. In an interview with the BBC, Lee described a freeze on North Korea's nuclear programme as a 'feasible, realistic alternative' to complete denuclearisation, noting that the North produces an additional 15 to 20 nuclear weapons annually. 'So long as we do not give up on the long-term goal of denuclearisation, I believe there are clear benefits to having North Korea stop its nuclear and missile development,' Lee said.
Despite the conciliatory tone, Kim reaffirmed that North Korea will never give up its nuclear arsenal, describing it as a 'matter of survival' amid threats from the US and South Korea. 'The world already knows full well what the United States does after it makes a country give up its nuclear weapons and disarms,' he said. Lee acknowledged that decades of UN-led sanctions had failed to prevent North Korea's nuclear expansion, telling Reuters that 'the previous approach of sanctions and pressure has not solved the problem; it has worsened it.'
Lee, a liberal who favours engagement with the North, has sought to ease tensions on the Korean peninsula after a sharp deterioration under his conservative predecessor, Yoon Suk Yeol. He has called for the resumption of inter-Korean dialogue and a more 'realistic' step-by-step approach to denuclearisation. Kim's comments mark a potential shift after the collapse of high-level talks in 2019 and his subsequent strengthening of ties with Russia and China.
